Tales of a Hero and Half Dragon
by TheTwilightRurouni
Summary: They say Ike went on a journey, and that Soren went with him, neither ever to be seen again in Tellius. But what happens when two people simply walk off the face of the earth? Post RD, spoilers for those who have yet to finish.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, before we send these two off on their crazy adventure, let me make it clear this is not Ike/Soren, I despise the pairing because they are two of my favorite FE characters. However, just because I dislike the pairing, it doesn't mean I look down on those who do, I just ask that you please don't look down on me. Now that that's done, I'll explain a little bit and then you'll be free to read, or you could just skip the A/N notes...anyway, this takes place post Radiant Dawn, and because the end game fates of these two were so delightfully ambiguous, I just had to do something with such a lovely open end. Either way it says Ike left on a journey and was never seen again in Tellius, and depending on whether or not you had an A rank support with Soren, everyone's favorite stoic mage would join him. This is an account of what I believe is a fairly good plot explanation. Finally, just to warn you, this is technically a cross-over. Now for those of you who don't do cross-overs please at least read this first chapter, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, and for those who do love cross-overs, I'm surprised you've read this far. And please, don't expect something crazy like FE/Super Smash. Now, without further ado, here is the first chapter, I hope you enjoy.**

Peace. That was the word that came to mind as Ike watched the tendril of smoke that slowly drifted up from the dying fire that he sat in front of, his back to a large tree behind him. He'd been gone for six months now, and peace seemed to permeate the very air he breathed everywhere he went. He smiled; sure that Micaiah was loving this. Ashera had been dealt with, and here he was, six months later, alone. Well…

"Hey you,"

Ike sat up and looked to his right, his hand going to the sword at his side. A man stood at the edge of the path, looking down at him with an axe resting on his shoulder.

"Yes?" Ike answered.

"Nothing," the man laughed, "you sure picked the wrong day to travel alone though."

With that he charged down the gentle incline, swinging his weapon high above his head. As he neared the bottom he suddenly dropped to his knees, bursting into flames while he shrieked, writhing on the ground next to the once fire. Ike stood up and watched as Soren made his way out from the undergrowth, closing a fire tome under his arm. As he made his way over to Ike, he casually kicked the charred bones into the fire pit. No, Ike wasn't completely alone.

"That was the first one in three weeks, I was beginning to wonder where all the bandits had gone," Ike commented.

"Was it," Soren asked, casting a glance towards the heap of glowing coals, "I hadn't noticed. But that's hardly important Ike, I found something deeper in the woods. I think you should see."

Ike shrugged and hefted Ragnell, placing it across his back as he stamped the fire out, "What is it?"

"Couldn't tell you, now let's go."

Ike followed the tactician through the trees, occasionally stopping to free himself from a branch that had snagged his sleeve. After an hour, he simply resorted to haphazardly swinging Ragnell around in front of him, clearing away the foliage that Soren seemed to pass through easily enough, despite being hampered by his robes.

"Soren, how far away is this thing?" he asked, pausing for a moment as Soren stopped to take a look around.

"I don't know, I remember finding it at about the same time I decided I would find nothing at all."

"Oh good, that how I'm feeling now," Ike muttered, taking off as Soren decided on a new direction and headed deeper into the trees.

As they continued, Ike's focus fell onto Soren's back, watching as he made his way through the trees, and his memory wandered to the day he'd left.

"_Soren, the Greil Mercenaries need you."_

"_And they need you any less, the man who held it together when Greil died? That's ridiculous, even for you Ike. If you're going on some journey I will as well."_

"_Soren…"_

"_They'll be fine with Titania serving as both commander and tactician, she's smart. Besides, you're the only one I ever trusted, my only friend, and half the reason I came to the Greil Mercenaries in the first place."_

"_And the other half?"_

"_Is dead. So…where are we going?" _

Ike was pulled from his memories as he realized he was now walking alone.

"Soren?" he called, looking around for his friend.

"Right here," Soren answered, pushing aside a branch as he came back into view.

Ike sighed and placed Ragnell atop his shoulder, "How much longer Soren? I'm not having as easy a time as you are with these trees."

"We're here actually," Soren answered, turning back around, Ike following close behind.

Ike stopped as they came to brief clearing in the endless sea of undergrowth. A large stone platform, raised six inches above the ground, was in the middle. Archaic runes surrounded its base.

"What is this, Soren?" Ike questioned, moving closer to examine the ruins.

"I'm not entirely sure, but the runes are in the old tongue. They give instructions about the usage of whatever this is, things to do and not to do, as well as requirements."

"Requirements?" he said, looking over his shoulder at Soren as he approached the platform.

"Yes, there are apparently certain criteria that need to be met before this can be used, although I don't know what for."

Ike raised an eyebrow, "That's great, but why are we here?"

"_I_ think it's interesting…" Soren said, trailing off as he circled the ruin.

After a few minutes he walked back over to Ike and turned around, "I'm going to try it."

"Try what? Using it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Soren ignored him as he continued, "I wasn't sure about the last requirement, but I believe I meet it."

"Soren, what's this about?"

Soren's eyes were aglow as a shadow of a smile appeared on his features, "Ike I'm going to tell you a story, it won't take long."

Soren continued to circle the platform as he spoke, occasionally changing directions, "When the goddess created Tellius, laguz and beorc, the dragon tribe was black and white, and that's all. Red dragons didn't appear until much later in the history of Tellius, but still long enough ago that only the dragon tribe can remember this."

"Soren…where did you learn that?"

Soren was silent for a moment before answering, "My mother told me. She thought she owed me something for the way things…turned out. But back to the story. Do you know where red dragons came from Ike?"

Ike didn't answer the rhetorical question, but continued to watch what his friend was doing.

Soren finally stopped his pacing and returned to Ike's side, answering his own question, "No, you don't. Not even the goddess knows."

"Soren, what does this have to do with anything?" Ike asked, looking down at him.

"Because, I think we're about to find out," Soren replied.

"What?"

"The last requirement is literally that the will of dragons be with whoever uses this, in other words the user must be a dragon, or at least have their blood. Do you know where we are, Ike?"

Ike frowned, "We're in…Gallia, right?"

"Yes, but a few more leagues that way and we'll stumble into the border patrols of Goldoa."

"Meaning we're close to dragons," Ike said, "but I think that actually punches a hole in your theory Soren. If we're this close to Goldoa then this has probably been found by hundreds of dragons and has nothing to do with anything."

"No, we may be close to Goldoa, but with the exception of these past three years no dragon has ever set foot outside of Goldoan territory. Ike, it's more likely that this ruin has been found by hundreds of Gallians, who have simply ignored it."

Ike pondered the thought for a moment before answering, "Okay, makes sense to me. What now?"

"I'm going to try and use it," Soren answered, moving so that he was positioned in front of the two stairs that led up to the dais.

Ike took a step back and leaned against a tree as he watched. Soren's eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated, drilling the ruin with a stare while he murmured incantations to himself. The seconds ticked by until sweat began to run down Soren's brow, and Ike found he could actually mark the sun's passage across the sky. After a few more minutes Soren uttered a single word and made a gesture towards the dais before falling to his knees. Ike was surprised; nothing ever gave Soren trouble when it came to the arcane arts.

"Did it work," he asked, walking over and pulling his friend to his feet.

Soren looked down at the runes for a few moments before turning his gaze up towards Ike, "No, I guess not. I honestly thought that-"

Soren stopped as the runes began to glow and let out a cry as he fell backwards, light beginning to pour forth from his brand. He clapped both hands over his forehead as the intensity increased.

"Ike, is anything happening?" he managed through labored breathing.

"You can't tell?" Ike asked, looking down at Soren, worried.

"I can't see anything!" he shouted, struggling to his feet.

Before Ike could say anything Soren's brand flashed and slowly faded back to normal as a bright circle appeared, hovering above the dais.

Soren shook his head, rubbing his fingers over his brand. After a minute he walked over and examined the light. He stuck his forearm into it before looking over his shoulder, "Ike, look on the other side, what do you see?"

Ike walked around the dais and raised an eyebrow, "Nothing, at least, not the rest of your arm. Soren, what is this?"

Soren pulled his arm back out and took a step back, looking up at it as he spoke, "I believe it's a means of transportation."

"That's…interesting. Where to?" Ike asked, mounting the steps and standing next to his friend.

"Contrary to the belief of a certain Gallian general, I don't know everything, Ike," Soren answered.

"Well then," Ike said, removing Ragnell from his shoulder, "let's find out."

Soren gave the light an appraising look before turning to Ike, "We might not ever come back."

"Nonsense. We'll be back, eventually," Ike said, taking a step closer to the gently pulsing light.

"You can't possibly know that," Soren said calmly.

Ike smiled, "Yes I can. I promised Mist I'd see her again when I left."

Soren started to say something, but stopped to consider his words. He closed his eyes and shook his head; there was no arguing with Ike's promises, even if they promised the impossible. Ike nodded towards the portal and Soren gave a half smile, following him in as the two plunged in.

Ike gave a start as his eyes opened, and he found himself staring up at treetops. He groaned and shifted his position; whatever he had been sleeping on wasn't very comfortable. He rolled over and looked around, finding Ragnell a few feet away next to an inert Soren. He picked it up and slung it across his back before looking around and realizing they were on the stone dais.

"_How boring, we're still in Gallia,"_ he thought, sitting Soren up and shaking him until his eyes snapped open, his hand immediately going to the tome hidden in his sleeve.

"It didn't do anything," he said, more to himself than Ike.

He stood and looked around before stepping down from the platform.

"That's what it looks like," Ike confirmed, following Soren into the shade of a large tree, "what now?"

"I suppose we should continue. At the very least it was an interesting experience…I'm going to have to ask Kurthnaga about it the next time we meet."

Ike shrugged, redirecting the conversation as the two friends made their way deeper into the seemly endless forest.

Vale blinked slowly as he ran his finger over the edge of his axe, watching the two travelers make their way through the trees. The two very, very lost travelers.

"What are we going to do with them," a voice asked off to his left.

He turned to his subordinate and whispered harshly, "What do you think you idiot, we're going to gut them and swipe the blade. They have some serious problems if they're coming onto my land."

The second man laughed quietly and walked away into the trees to inform the rest of the men. Vale made his way down the gentle incline that led to the clearing the two would eventually reach.

Ike rubbed his eyes as he tried to clear the image of ceaseless trees from his mind, "Soren, how much longer? It didn't take nearly this long to get here the first time."

"I know," the mage replied, "I think we somehow got lost…wait, there's a clearing up ahead. We can take a break there."

Ike agreed and pushed aside another low hanging branch as the two entered the welcome break in the endless parade of greenery. They both stopped as a figure entered from the opposite side, watching them for a moment before beginning to speak.

"I don't know what you think you're doing here," he said, shaking his head, "but you've stumbled onto the wrong bandit's land. Unless you're here on purpose, but if that's the case you can forget about the girl."

At this ten more men appeared from the heavy foliage, all bearing wicked looking axes. Ike reached behind him and drew his sword, eliciting a chorus of laughter from the group.

"Look at that! He's gonna' go out fighting, good man," the leader said, taking a step towards them.

"Soren," Ike whispered, "are you ready?"

"Stop talking, we have to catch them off guard," Soren ordered, reaching into his robes, his hand poised over a bolganone tome.

Ike nodded and let out a battle cry as he brought down the sword, sending a wave of purple energy towards the leader, which stuck him on the shoulder. Ike continued to bellow as he charged forwards, scattering the bandits as they rushed to get out of his way. Soren whipped out the tome and rifled through the pages, stopping at the appropriate one and sending three of the remaining nine up in flames.

Ike turned away four axes with a single swipe of Ragnell and turned on the off balance bandits, cutting the legs out from under two before bringing his sword close to defend once again. After a few minutes of this ebbing back and forth, Ike turned on the crippled leader, who looking up at him with a mixture of fear and awe.

"Now where's this girl?" he asked.

Silence. Ike brandished the tear dropped shaped tip of Ragnell in front of the man's eyes.

"You think that will get me to tell? Just kill me," he said.

Ike smashed the flat of Ragnell across the man's face, disfiguring his nose in the process.

"Tell me," he said calmly as the man spit out the blood that ran into his mouth, "or I'll have Soren get it out of you. He's not as nice as I am; he'll burn you as soon as look at you."

Vale drew his arm across his face, momentarily clearing away the blood, "Fine. She's up in-"

Ike smiled at the fear in his voice, cutting him off, "No. You'll take us there, now get up and let's go."

Ike hauled him to his feet and turned him about, marching him through the forest with Ragnell's tip hovering at the small of his back. When they came to the entrance of a small fort he turned around, opening his mouth to speak, but immediately fell to the ground instead, screaming as flames engulfed his body.

As he stamped out the ashes Ike turned to Soren, "You should have let me do it, it would have been faster."

Soren drilling Ike with a stoic stare as he stood at the fort entrance, "No. That would have led to groveling, and I hate it when they try to reason with you."

Ike sighed and walked past him, leading them into the confines of the stone building. He stopped when they reached a locked door.

"She's probably in here, they didn't seem worried enough to put her any farther back," he said, raising Ragnell above his head and bringing it down with two hands, battering the comparatively flimsy lock off the door.

As they entered a girl looked up from a cot in the corner, her eyes blazing defiantly.

"Who are you," she demanded, standing quickly, "you don't look like the others."

"That because we're not," Soren said.

"Then who are you," she repeated.

"No one, at least not to you," Ike said, "we just happened to run into them in the forest and they thought we were here for you."

"And you came to rescue me," she said, crossing her arms and looking Ike in the eye.

Ike laughed, "Yes, is that so hard to believe?"

"I suppose not, but who risks there life to rescue a stranger," she said, looking at Soren this time.

"Don't look at me like that," Soren said, "and we could always put the lock back on and let you wait for someone more 'believable'."

"Actually, I don't think we can Soren, I did a pretty good number on that lock," Ike said with a grin, waiting for the reaction from his friend.

Soren ground his teeth, "Making a point Ike, I was just making a point."

Ike laughed, "I know. So, what will it be?"

The girl looked at them for a moment, judging them as best she could before answering, "Fine, but as soon as we reach the next town I'll be able to make my own way back."

"Because you did a fabulous job the first time, apparently," Soren said, turning to go out the door.

Ike was surprised as the girl let the comment slide and followed them out, walking over to the wall and removing a lance before joining them out in front of the fort.

"Alright, we can go," she said, resting the lance over her shoulder in a soldier's marching pose.

Ike nodded and the now trio headed off to find the nearest town.

The two knights quietly made their progress through the forest, exchanging occasional banter as they delved deeper into the trees.

"Well, I doubt she'll be dead, she's a good fighter," said the first.

"And what a glorious fighter at that! Like the sun overtakes each night with dawn, she overtakes the enemy with-"

"That's enough; we have an objective to complete. Besides…there's someone coming over the hill. Quick, off the road."

The two knights quickly made their way into the dense undergrowth and watched as three figures made their way down the path. As they came into view the second knight let out a gasp,

"It's her! Fair Lady Farina has managed to escape, but look! She's beset by the filthy brigands that took her in the first place! Quick, we must save her before she is lost to us forever!"

With that he urged his horse forward and thundered out into the open, charging forward with his lance at the ready.

"No!" shouted the second knight, leaving the cover of the overshadowing trees and making his way out onto the road, "Sain! Get back here! As your commanding officer I order you to halt!"

**Technically, being the key word there, right before cross-over, because I'm not sure if it counts if I'm crossing FE with FE. I must say, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, Sain is SO much fun to write! He'll definitely get his fair share of lines... Before I go, I'd just like to clear up that I don't know what Ike did with Ragnell after RD, and yes he may have given it back to Sanaki, but for all purposes of this fic he kept it. I personally thought Soren's story sounded a little forced, but it was as good as it was going to get, so if you have any comments on that in particular I'd love to hear them. Other than that, I hope you liked it enough to leave me a review on your way out telling me what you thought. (In case you don't know, it's the little purple button that says 'Go'. Press it, it's fun.) Until next chapter,**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I would have had this up a few days ago, even though Wednesdays are my usual update days anyway, but I had a little problem to see to, most of you mentioned it when you reviewed. I proofread this, as usual, and would like to note that nearly all of the errors in the last chapter were caused by either FF or my computer. If it was my computer, I apologize, I'm looking into it and I hope it didn't cause too much confusion. I have yet to find a solution to the problem, so I've decided to put a period in between words that would otherwise be deleted, I hope it's not too distracting. I have also resorted to using OoOoO as a scene divider, because dashes no longer work. That said, I'm not a fan of long A/N notes, excluding first and last chapters, so here's chapter two.**

"Sain! I order you to halt!" Kent shouted as he watched his comrade charge towards Farina and the newcomers.

Sain ignored the command, knowing that it carried no weight, and continued on to rescue Farina from who he was certain were the bandits who had stolen her away the first time.

"Ike, incoming," Soren said placidly, watching the man in green armor as he headed up the hill towards them, "he looks a bit like Oscar actually."

Ike put his hand on Soren's arm as the mage made a move for his tome, "I got it."

With that he ran down the hill towards the knight. As he approached he drew Ragnell and vaulted over the lance head, running the blade's edge along the shaft so that the flat knocked Sain in the chest, pushing him off his steed. As they hit the ground Sain rolled and came up with his lance at the ready.

"Prepare for a swift death, villainous cur!" Sain shouted, thrusting out towards Ike.

As the lance head darted past him Ike stepped in and quickly dealt Sain a blow to the ribs. As the knight doubled over Ike whirled around, and using two hands brought Ragnell down upon the lance tip, snapping it off.

Sain looked up at him, "Bested by a brigand, what have I become as I near death? Ah, but what a glorious death it shall be, to fall in battle protecting those I care for! Do your worst!"

With that he bowed his head, waiting for the finishing blow as Kent cantered up alongside him.

"Sain get up," he commanded, dismounted and standing next to his kneeling companion, "before he decides to take you up on that offer. Elimine knows I would."

After a moment Sain's head rose, and finding himself quite alive, he stood.

Ike rolled his eyes and looked over at Soren as he came down the hill with Farina, "I don't know what crazy corner of Tellius we've wandered into Soren, but we're leaving."

"Tellius?" Kent said, raising an eyebrow at Ike's odd statement.

Ike turned back around to give Kent an odd look, "Yeah, we are in Tellius, right?"

"Ahm…if by Tellius you mean Elibe, than yes," he replied.

"No, I meant Tellius," Ike said, "Would you mind telling us where we _are_ then, besides Elibe?"

"In Lycia, in the territory of Caelin. Where's Tellius…east?" Kent offered, trying his hardest to understand what the man in front of him was talking about.

"No," Ike said bluntly, turning his head to look at Soren as the mage came up beside him.

"I think we have some explaining to do," Soren whispered.

"Right…" Ike said slowly, the realization of what Soren had said dawning on him.

"Then, where is Tellius?" Kent pressed, looking from one to the other.

"I'm not so sure we know anymore," Ike said, earning himself another round of odd stares.

After a few minutes of silence, Kent spoke up, "I think we had better head back to Castle Caelin and see if Marquess Hausen can sort this out."

"Are you sure," Ike said, looking over at Soren, who gave his approval by doing nothing at all.

"Of course," Kent said, his mood lightening as he moved the conversation onto a different topic, "it's the least we could do considering you rescued Lady Farina, we never thanked you properly. My name is Kent; this is my friend, Sain."

"Is he now…" Soren muttered darkly.

Farina burst out laughing and Ike had to suppress his own, Soren always had been perfectly insufferable.

"No, I think Sain's thanks were more than enough," Ike said, smiling slightly as Kent's face flushed.

"I must apologize for his actions," Kent said, turning to Ike, "we'd been searching for her for the past few days and were both a little on edge."

"It's fine, I know the feeling," Ike reassured, following them as the group set off towards Castle Caelin, "I'm Ike, by the way, and this is Soren."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, despite the circumstances," Kent said, looking over at Sain.

Ike laughed as the green armored knight cleared his throat and looked the other direction, spurring his horse to move faster. Maybe traveling with these three wouldn't be so bad.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Lyn sighed as she rode through the front gates of Castle Caelin and dismounted, handing her steed off to a stable boy. It had been too long since her last visit. As she mounted the steps leading up to the castle's entrance the guards smiled slightly and lowered their lances to let her pass. She walked slowly down the long corridors towards the dining hall, admiring the tapestries on the wall that she hadn't seen for so long. As she came to the double doors leading into the dining area she stopped, hearing voices. Did grandfather have visitors?

"Grandfather," she said, pushing open the doors, "I thought I'd stop by for a-"

Lyn stopped at the scene in front of her. Her grandfather, Marquess Hausen, sat in a high backed chair at the end of the table, his elbows on the table and his chin resting on the backs of his folded hands. He had a grave expression on his face as he listened to a young man that sat in front of him, dressed in black robes. Kent and Sain were on either side of him, and there was another stranger sitting with his back to her, an enormous blade leaned up against his chair. He was easily the tallest in the room, with close cut blue hair and armored shoulders…

Lyn took a step forward, "Hector? What are you doing here? I told you I'd be fine by myself, you didn't need to-"

She stopped as the man turned around, and she found herself looking at someone who was definitely not her husband. He may have had Hector's short blue hair, but that was where the similarities ended. This man's face was not as square cut as Hector's, and while Hector's features fell into a slight, contemplative frown when his face relaxed, this man's features neither frowned nor smiled, and his eyes seemed to pierce her as he looked at her; this man was all business.

"Lyndis," Hausen said as he looked up, his eyes alight and a smile coming to his lips, "what a surprise, you should have told me you were coming!"

"That would have ruined the surprise," Lyndis said distractedly, still examining the man she had mistaken for Hector, "who are these two?"

"Oh I'm sorry," Hausen said, "this is Ike, and his friend Soren. They have a rather…interesting dilemma."

Lyn was shocked at the change in Ike's face as he smiled; he almost looked like a different person.

Ike continued to smile reassuringly as Lyn took a seat next to her grandfather; he had found that beautiful women tended to cry when he got too serious; especially that one Sain had introduced him to, what was her name? Florina, that was it, she'd run off crying as soon as he'd said hello.

"It's nice to meet both of you, where are you from?" Lyn asked, looking from one to the other.

"Actually," Hausen said, allowing Ike and Soren to avoid explaining it all over again, "that's what they're here about; they're in an odd predicament."

"Predicament?" Lyn asked, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to guess at why her grandfather was being so ambiguous.

"We believe they came through a Scouring Circle," Hausen said flatly.

Lyn blinked in surprise, that wasn't what she'd been expecting. Her eyes darted from one to the other as she examined them. They both very well could be dragons, but she had Ike pinned if she had to choose.

"Yes, that was my reaction as well," Hausen said, "we were just about to finish the discussion."

Lyn nodded and sat silent as Soren continued to explain what had happened. As he came to the end, Hausen asked the question that weighed the heaviest on all of their minds,

"Soren, when the circle opened, did you hear anyone…calling to you from the other side?"

"No, we were completely alone," Soren answered, "we entered of our own will."

With a sigh Hausen relaxed, "Okay, I think that wraps it up for now, Lyn, would you-"

He was interrupted as Lyn loudly cleared her throat.

"Ah, yes…" he said, looking from Lyn to Ike, "I know this is going to sound strange, but we have to ask. Are either of you…dragons?"

Ike's insides leapt at the question, but his face remained neutral as he answered, "No, I'm not."

Ike watched closely as Soren gave his own one word answer, "No."

He didn't miss a beat. Ike knew it was from years of experience, denying his own identity, but he had still been afraid something may have shown on his friend's face.

Hausen tried to break the gravity of the question with a smile, "Alright then, thank you both, I know that was odd, but we had to ask."

Ike and Soren both said nothing as they focused on keeping their cool.

After a moment of silence Lyn spoke, "So then…it would seem a visit to Eliwood is in order?"

"Yes, it would," Hausen agreed, "but in the meantime, would you escort Ike and Soren to their room? They can sleep in the one next to the foyer."

Lyn nodded and stood, waiting for Ike and Soren to rise. She noticed that as he stood, Ike used but one hand to pick up his sword and place it across his back, it must have been deceivingly light for its size. When they were ready she led them out the door and down the long hallways. As they walked, Lyn made an attempt at conversation.

"Ike, I practice swordsmanship myself, I was wondering if I could look at your blade?" she asked, looking at the sword slung across his back.

Ike didn't respond as he was suddenly no longer in the hallway, but back at the Greil Mercenary base.

_The sun was just peeking over the horizon line, barely visible through the trees. Ike and Mia were standing opposite each other, swords drawn._

"_Hey boss! I got a great idea; let's switch swords for this one!"_

_Ike sighed, "Mia, you know what will happen, can't we just get on with this?"_

_Mia set her lips into a heavy pout as she was silent for a moment. Finally she grinned, "Ah, whatever, you're the only one who'll get up with me at dawn anyway, let's just get this duel started."_

_Ike looked ever Rhys, who despite his cool demeanor, was griping his staff as tight as humanly possible. The bishop slowly raised his hand, and with a dismayed look on his face, let it fall._

_Mia let out a joyous cry and leapt towards her commander, sword flashing._

Ike started as he suddenly found himself in the hallway again, Lyn looking up at him oddly.

"What?" he said, looking over at Soren, who was casually looking up at one of the many tapestries as he ignored the two beside him.

"I said is something wrong?" Lyn asked again, a slightly false smile on her face as she waited for him to say something about how women weren't suited for combat. Maybe Ike was more like her husband after all…

"No, I was just thinking about a friend, what you said brought back memories. Here," he replied, taking Ragnell off his back and handing it to her.

As soon as his hand left the handle, Lyn was horrified to find that the sword dragged her entire upper body down to the floor. How in all of Elibe did he use this monster with one hand? After a few minutes of struggling she managed to get it up to waist level. She gave it a few swings just to make a point before handing it back.

"It's heavy," she said as Ike relieved her of the weight, "does it have a name?"

"Ragnell, and you get used to it," he said.

Lyn laughed, "I doubt it, I think I'll stick with my own blade."

"Is that it?" Ike asked, nodding towards the sword at her side.

"Yes, it's called the Mani Katti," she said, unsheathing it and handing it over to Ike.

She couldn't help but laugh as he held it, it looked so wrong in his hands. He swung it back and forth before handing it back.

"It felt wrong," he said, "like it wouldn't get me anywhere if I ever tried to use it."

Lyn smiled, "That's because I am its owner, it chooses me more than I choose it."

To her surprise, Ike nodded understandingly. She came to a stop outside a door.

"Here we are," she said, turning towards Soren, "and I'm sorry I ignored you Soren, we'll have to talk tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it," Ike said as the mage ignored the comment and entered the room, "he usually prefers the company of his own thoughts anyway. The rest of us just can't seem to keep up with him."

Lyn smiled and bid them goodnight as Ike turned, closing the door behind him. Soren was sitting on one of the beds, staring into the fire someone had started for them.

"They know, Ike," he said, not turning to his friend as he lost himself in the dancing flames.

"I know," he said, taking a seat on the other bed, closer to the door.

Soren now turned to look at him, "How?"

"…I don't know, but they seem nice enough," he said.

"They all 'seem nice' Ike, until they find out your brand has less to do with your arcane skills than they originally thought," he said, biting off each word as it left his lips.

"I know that as well Soren, I was there for it. At least, I was there for some of it. We're just going to have to deal with it as it comes," he said calmly.

Soren said nothing as he stood, hanging his robes on the bed post before collapsing into the bed.

Ike rose, taking Soren's silence as a good thing, and after a few minutes of grappling with various buckles had his armor on the floor beside him. As he too fell into a soft bed, his mind wandered back to Mia. He wondered who was dueling with her at dawn now that he was gone…

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Lyn looked at Hausen as she entered the long dining hall.

"Grandfather," she said, taking a seat next to him, "what do you think?"

He took his eyes off the high, ribbed ceiling and looked at her, "I think we'll only really be able to tell once you have that visit with Eliwood and Ninian, but they seem nice enough."

Lyn smiled, "That's what I think too, it's just so strange though."

"Yes, but let's not discuss things we can't control. Tell me, what have you been up to? I want to hear it all," he said, his eyes lighting up as he anticipated finally being able to catch up with his granddaughter.

Lyn smiled and began to tell him of what had happened since she'd moved out of Castle Caelin, her light voice carrying the two deep into the night.

**And suddenly Eliwood and Lyn get thrown into the mix! As for the portal Ike and Soren entered, I realize in FE 7 the only one mentioned was the Dragon's Gate, but I thought it plausible there may have been others, so I decided to make it an unknown for the sake of the plot. I mean, why on earth would Sain and Kent be wandering around Valor looking for Farina? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much I did writing it. If you've got the time, drop me a review on the way out.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	3. Chapter 3

**You would be getting this Wednesday, but I'll be on spring break then, so I decided to update today. Hope you like it, here's chapter three.**

Ike awoke with a start and sat up in bed. He looked around the windowless room, he felt strangely…awake. What was going on? He never felt this rested in the mornings. He vaulted out of bed and strapped on his armor before opening up the door and coming to a halt. There was his answer; the sun was already halfway across the sky. Ike wanted to kick himself for sleeping in so late as he dashed down the hall; he hoped he hadn't kept the others waiting. As he rounded a corner he nearly ran into Soren.

"Oh good, you're up, I was just coming to get you," the mage said, turning back down the hallway he'd come from, Ike in tow.

"Why did you let me sleep in so late? You know I hate that, it's a complete waste of the day," Ike said loudly.

"Because," Soren answered, "we weren't leaving for a while and you looked like you needed the rest."

Ike sighed as they made their way down the steps that led to the front gates; Lyn was already there, waiting with Kent, Sain, and someone else he had yet to meet. Hausen and Farina stood off to the side, talking with Florina. As they reached the front gates Lyn turned to Ike, a smile on her features,

"Ike, this is Wil, he'll be traveling with us to Pherae," she said, introducing the wiry man who stood next to her, an easy smile on his features.

Ike reached out to shake his hand, and was surprised at the strength of his grip.

"Archer?" he said.

"Yeah, how'd you guess?" Wil asked, releasing Ike's hand from his iron grip.

"Because, only an archer would be as thin as you and still be able to crush my hand like that," Ike said, shaking his hand out as he spoke.

"Thanks, I think," Wil said with a laugh.

"Wil already met Soren, so I think we're ready to go," Lyn said, mounting her horse as she spoke.

Ike eyed his horse for a moment before following suite, he wasn't quite sure it looked like it could hold him.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to visit longer," Lyn said, turning around in her saddle to look at Hausen.

"Nonsense," he said, "this is much more important, and exciting at that. You can visit anytime, just be careful. And that reminds me…"

He reached over and took the lance Florina had been holding and held it out to Sain, "Sain, Rebecca said that I was supposed to give this to you next week on your anniversary since she wouldn't be here for it. Since you'll probably be in Pherae for that, I think you should have it now."

Sain's face lit up at the mentioning of his wife.

"Ah," he said, taking the silver lance from Hausen, "a most beauteous gift from a most beautiful woman! And even better that it comes with timing, since this blue haired brute broke my last one."

"Hey," Farina said, a sly grin on her face, "I thought you said I was the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen?"

Sain squirmed in his saddle for a moment, "Ah, well…I think it's time we hit the road."

At that he spurred his horse down the road, not bothering to see if the others were following him.

"I think that's our sign to go," Kent said, giving a slight bow in Hausen's direction before cantering off after Sain.

"I suppose it is," Lyn said, "I'll see you in a few weeks grandfather."

After a few more goodbyes they were off, Hausen and Farina waving from the gate, wishing them safe travels; Florina had somehow disappeared after Hausen had taken the lance from her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Lyn turned to look at Soren as the group continued down the meandering road, "Soren, I never got a chance to talk to you last night. What do you do?"

"I'm a practitioner of anima magic," he said, his tone flat.

"Oh come on," Ike said, "you could also tell them they're looking at the best tactician in Tellius."

Lyn smiled, "You're a tactician? One of our good friends is a tactician, although he's been traveling for the past few years."

"Did you control many troops?" Kent asked, interested in trying to pick something up from the silent young man if he could.

Ike answered when Soren remained silent, "He's been in charge of coordinating the movements of entire armies actually, but the numbers really aren't important. Soren, didn't you also say you were beginning to study dark magic?"

Ike jumped a bit as the entire group nearly shouted at him, "Elder magic!"

Soren's eyes narrowed a bit, "Yes, that's its official name, but there's no need to bite his head off over it."

"I'm sorry," Lyn said, her face slightly flushed, "a good friend of ours died this past winter, he was always telling us how dark magic was really supposed to be called elder magic…"

"It's fine," Ike said, regretting that he'd unknowingly opened up a touchy subject, "at least I won't forget it now."

After a few minutes of silence he tried to steer the conversation in a new direction, turning to Sain on his left.

"Sain, sorry about breaking your lance the other day, I know how expensive those can be," he said.

The knight grinned, "Oh, not to worry, I was going to need a new one anyway, what with all of the protecting fair maidens I do."

"Uh, right," Ike said, raising an eyebrow. Could he go a single sentence without mentioning fair maidens, ladies in distress, or something of the like?

"Your sword must be pretty new though, to have broken my lance so cleanly," Sain said, nodding towards Ragnell.

"No, actually it's older than I am," Ike said.

"Ah, family heirloom then?" Kent said.

"No a…teacher gave it to me," Ike said, glad they let it drop at that; he wasn't quite sure how he would have told them his blade had been blessed by two goddesses before killing one of them.

"So, do you know…" he paused, he wasn't good with titles, "Marquess Pherae very well?"

Lyn smiled, "Yes, he's a very good friend of ours. We mentioned him last night, his name is Eliwood."

"And how long will it take to reach Pherae?" Ike continued.

"A week, if nothing goes wrong," Lyn answered, "so we've got a while. Why don't you tell us what Tellius is like while we're waiting?"

Ike looked over at Soren. The corner of the mage's mouth twitched, and he looked away. Ike turned back to Lyn, knowing what was on his friend's mind. The dragon laguz would not be making an appearance in this story.

"Sure. I suppose I should start with Ashera," he said, deciding that it would be best if he just gave them a brief history.

Ike's deep voice resonated as he began his tale, passing the time as they continued down the long road stretched out before them.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eliwood looked up from the table he was bent over as the door swung open and Ninian entered, a worried expression on her face.

"Ninian," he said, standing up as he spoke, "what's wrong?"

"I'm…not sure," she said, her crimson eyes meeting his blue ones as she looked up at him, "I think someone came through."

Eliwood blinked.

"Through the Dragon's Gate?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"No, I would know. It was one of the smaller ones," she answered, resting her head on Eliwood's shoulder as he held her.

Eliwood frowned. The Dragon's Gate was nothing more than the largest portal used by dragon kind during the Scouring. There were rumors of smaller ones scattered across Elibe, but no one knew where they were.

"It wasn't Nils, was it?" he asked, hoping he would find an easy answer to the quickly growing problem.

"No," she sighed, "I would have known as soon as it happened."

Eliwood said nothing, letting the silence continue on as they stood in their embrace. Finally, Ninian pulled away and looked up at him.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm going to send a message to Hector, and perhaps go so far as to suggest that we meet," he said.

Ninian nodded and quietly left the room, a preoccupied expression still spread across her fair features. After she had closed the door, Eliwood stood for a time, allowing his thoughts to race as he considered what else he could do. At last, he uttered a single word, seemingly to no one,

"Jaffar."

After a moment, the shadows seemed to warp, and a man stepped out. He was dressed in a black cloak that concealed his torso, leaving only his head visible. He had dark red hair, and his expression was cold as ice, the picture of apathy. However, Eliwood could see the difference in the assassin gone spy's stance. He no longer carried his past burdens alone.

"Yes?" he said.

"Jaffar, would you mind bringing a message to Hector, and seeing if it is at all possible that we meet?" Eliwood asked.

"Of course not," he said, turning to leave the room.

"And Jaffar," Eliwood said, halting the man's progress as he stood in the door frame.

"Yes?" he said, not bothering to turn around.

Eliwood hesitated slightly, "How is Nino? I've been so busy lately; I regret that I haven't been by to see her."

"…she's better," Jaffar said, looking over his shoulder, "it just took some time. She was close to Canas."

Eliwood nodded, and Jaffar closed the door, leaving the marquess alone once again. Eliwood sighed as he sat back down and leaned over the chart spread out before him. For now, he was going to have to try and get back to normal affairs.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ike head snapped up as Lyn spoke, "We're here, look, there's Castle Pherae."

Ike sighed heavily. The past week had been tiring at best; it was good to finally be at their destination. As they entered the castle town, Ike had to crane his neck back to see the upper ramparts of the castle, lined with archers.

"It's bigger than Castle Caelin," he said, looking over at Kent.

"Pherae is a bigger territory overall," the knight replied, bringing his horse to a halt as they came to the castle gates.

After a moment, an older knight in dark orange armor rode up, yelling something at the gate guards, who had been talking to Lyn. They immediately left, the knight shouting after them.

"I'm sorry Lyn," he said, "new recruits, they wouldn't know friend from foe."

Lyn laughed, "It's all right Marcus. Is Eliwood here? We have some rather important business to discuss with him."

"Of course, just a minute," Marcus said.

He shouted up to the lower ramparts and after a minute the gates slowly swung open. As the group filed in stable hands came up one by one to take their horses from them. Ike dismounted and after handing his reins off to a boy, followed the others up the large staircase leading into the castle. As he walked he thought he saw a man out of the corner of his eye, watching them from the shadows.

"Volke?" he said to himself, turning to get a better look.

With that, the man disappeared from the shadows before Ike could reassure himself he'd been there at all. Ike shook his head and continued up the stairs. Would everyone here remind him of someone back home?

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eliwood nodded as Jaffar whispered into his ear and slipped back into the shadows. He looked over at Hector, sitting to his right. A week had passed since Ninian's disturbing news, and right as it seemed they were going to get something done about it a new uncertainty arose.

"What is it?" Hector asked, his deep baritone filling the small room.

"Apparently you're wife is going to be here in a few minutes," he said casually, leaning back over the map the two had been studying.

"What? Why? I thought she was visiting her grandfather," Hector fairly shouted.

"I don't know," Eliwood answered calmly.

"And why on Elibe is she visiting you?" he continued.

"Once again, I don't know, how about we wait for Lyn to tell us," Eliwood replied.

"Right, sorry, it's just that this is a little odd," Hector said.

Eliwood laughed, "Just act natural, I like to at least let people _think_ they can surprise me these days."

Hector's frown quickly turned in to a grin, "I know what you mean, with Matthew around the castle nothing is a secret."

As he stopped to consider what he'd just said, Hector's expression grew pensive. Now that he thought about, Lyn wasn't quite as surprised as he'd expected when he gave her that silver sword for their anniversary…

Both men turned as the door opened up, revealing Lyn in the doorway with five others behind her.

"Eliwood, I know this is- Hector? What are _you_ doing here?" she asked, a feeling a déjà vu washing over her as she suddenly found herself confronted with her actual husband.

"I could ask the same," Hector countered, "I thought you were visiting your grandfather."

"I was, but something came up," she answered, "why are you here?"

"Once again, I could say the same," Hector replied, "who are those two?"

"What- oh sorry, this is Ike and Soren, they're actually the reason we're here," she answered, introducing the two.

"Well we have a bit of our own problem, and I think it's more important than anything you've got on your hands," Hector said, earning himself a glare from Lyn.

"I doubt it," she said.

Eliwood cut her off as she was about to say more, "Just like old times eh? Look, it's fine, but let's sort this problem out somewhere less cramped, this room wasn't build to hold so many people."

The others agreed, and after making his way through the doorway Eliwood led them down the halls to a large room with windows cut into every wall. He thanked Roland the weather was warm as they all took seats around a wide circular table.

"Now, what is it that you're having trouble with?" Eliwood asked, looking from Soren to Ike.

Before either could answer, Lyn spoke up, "Actually Eliwood, we really need Ninian here for this. Is that okay?"

Eliwood frowned slightly, "Ah, yes, it should be. She hasn't been feeling well lately though, I'll send someone to see if she's well enough to come down."

Ike had the feeling that 'someone' was already in the room with them. As he examined the shadows, he found the same man from earlier, slipping through a door discretely cut into the wall. His attention was drawn back to the group around the table by Hector's voice.

"Ninian hasn't been feeling well? It hasn't been in the _mornings_ has it?" he jested, elbowing his friend in the ribs.

Eliwood ignored the comment as Lyn's eyes flashed in the direction of her husband, who immediately wiped the smile off his face and sat silently. After a few minutes, the door opened, and woman with teal hair and bright crimson eyes entered.

"Ninian, this is Ike and Soren. They have a problem, and Lyn thought you should be here for it," Eliwood said, gesturing towards the two.

Ninian said nothing as she stood in the door frame, staring at Soren. The mage stared back, wishing she would stop, his hand touching the tome he had in his robes.

"You…" she said, walking closer to him, her eyes searching his face, "you opened the circle."

Everyone but Ike stared as Soren jumped up from the table, his chair toppling over as he shoved Ninian out of the way and ran for the door. As he passed through he turned, pulling out a tome and rifling through the pages as his eyes darted from one person to another.

"Ike, we're leaving," he said, taking a single step back into the room.

Ike stood slowly as he looked at the tome his friend held in his hands. If that was what he thought it was, then one wrong move and Soren would drop a bomb on them all.

"Soren," he said, not moving from where he stood, "I don't think it will matter to them."

"And I don't feel like sticking around to find out! Let's go!" he shouted.

Ike nodded and made his way over to Soren. He may have had doubts about what he was doing, but he wasn't one to abandon his friends. He stopped as Eliwood's eyes flashed to the area over Soren's shoulder for a split second before going back to Soren as he whispered a name,

"Jaffar."

Since there was no one in the room named Jaffar at the moment, he could only assume it was someone that none of them were supposed to know about. He cursed and spun, tackling the dark figure that stood behind Soren. Soren turned and bolted down the hallway, looking over his shoulder as Ike stood, the smaller man out on front of him as he raised him into the air.

"Soren, hide! I'll sort this out and get you when it's over!" he shouted.

Ike had taken a little too long and felt his head explode in pain as the man kicked him in the temple, freeing himself from the taller man's grip. As he hit the floor he pushed both sides of his cloak back, drawing twin daggers before disappearing once again. Ike quickly took a wild swing at the shadows, the flat of his sword clipping something that definitely wasn't shadow. He lunged in and grabbed a hold once again, this time throwing the man out into a sunbeam that streamed through the window. Now that he could see him clearly he could tell the man was paying him no attention, his gaze going right past Ike and into the hallway. Ike spun as he heard the clank or armor and barely brought Ragnell up in time to clash with Hector's Wolf Bein, bringing the movement in the room to a standstill. After a few heartbeats he looked over at Eliwood,

"Call him off. I know what Soren did was alarming, but he has a good reason for acting that way. Please, just let me explain."

"…Jaffar, you can take a seat," Eliwood said, looking not at Jaffar, but Hector.

Jaffar silently walked to the table and sat down next to Lyn, his gaze perpetually forward, never wavering from where he looked. After another minute of stressful silence, Hector too dropped his weapon and retreated to the table.

"He better have a good reason," he said, folding his arms over his chest as he stared Ike down.

"Lyn, I'm going to have to start with what I told you about Tellius. I lied," he said, taking a seat across from Eliwood.

"About what?" she asked, her hand firmly gripping the Mani Katti under the table.

"The laguz tribes…I told you there were three…there's actually four in Tellius," he answered, looking her in the eye as he spoke.

"Wait, what's a laguz, and where's Tellius?" Hector interrupted.

"He can explain that later," Lyn said, knowing it would only further complicate things, "but the laguz are a race from the Ike's homeland. They have the ability to change into the animals of their respective tribes. Ike told me there were bird, feline, and wolf laguz. What is the fourth tribe, Ike?"

"Dragon," Ike said, watching as they all sat up a little straighter in their chairs.

"Well that would clear some things up…" Lyn said, looking over at Eliwood and Hector, who both looked rather confused, "Ike and Soren…they came through a Scouring Circle to Elibe one week ago. We were hoping Ninian could help us figure out what was going on…"

"But what does that have to do with these two?" Hector asked.

Ninian spoke before Ike could answer, "Soren's a dragon, isn't he."

"Half," Ike said, once again looking over at Lyn, who made a silent 'oh' with her mouth.

Ninian had a mixture of joy and worry in her expression, not quite sure what to think about another person besides Nils being in Elibe who could relate to her.

"So why did he run away like that?" Hector asked.

"Because he was afraid we would kill him," Lyn answered, looking over at Ike, who nodded.

"Well why on Elibe would we do that? You don't see me hacking Ninian to pieces," Hector said.

Ike actually jumped at this, and gave Ninian a closer look.

"We wouldn't," Lyn said, "but back in Tellius they would. Being half laguz is considered a crime against the natural order of the world."

"You're joking," Hector said, "that the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"But true," Ike said, thinking that perhaps Soren had found another friend in Hector, "Soren's gone through his entire life pretending to be something he's not, and running from those who know what he really is. When Ninian, in his eyes, accused him of being a dragon he had little other choice than to run."

Hector's jaw ground back and forth as he tried to think of something to say. After a while, he simply sat back in his chair and said nothing at all.

"All right then," Eliwood said, "I think we understand, or at least enough to forgive Soren's actions. I think the best thing now would be to find him and let him know he can come back."

"That's going to be hard, you'll have to let me go alone," Ike said.

"That's fine, you know him best," Eliwood said, standing up from his seat at the table, "and I guess this solves our problem too. Ninian came to me a week ago with news that someone had opened a Scouring Circle, which was what prompted me to meet with Hector."

"Then this all worked out rather nicely, it's been too long since our last reunion anyway, you could say this gave us a very good excuse to have one," Lyn said.

"I guess. Spar at noon tomorrow then, Eliwood?" Hector answered.

"Yes, noon's fine," Eliwood replied.

Lyn laughed, "You two will never change. Before you go beat each other into submission, who's watching the castle, Hector?"

"It's fine, I left Matthew in charge," he said, getting up and following Eliwood out the door, "and Ike, if you ever need a sparring partner let me know."

"Sure, but that'll have to be later. I need to find Soren," he answered, getting up and walking out the door, past Hector and Eliwood.

"Well," Sain said, looking over at Kent and Wil, "I feel rather left out of this whole thing. Why don't we go and-"

"No," Kent interrupted, "Rebecca would have your head. We're going to the training grounds; you need to work on your lance thrusts."

Sain's head drooped as he followed his commander out and down the hallway, Wil close behind. As the others too dispersed, no one seemed to notice as Ninian continued to sit at the table, staring out the window at the setting sun as she considered the day's events.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Soren sat and watched the castle town's front gates from his hidden position in the trees. Thankfully the guards had let him out under his status as one of 'Marquess Eliwood's guests', but if Ike didn't come out soon he was going to have to go back in for him, and besides that the sun was beginning to set. With a final glance around the area he stood and started to walk towards the guards who stood at their stations.

"Magnificent."

Soren stopped at the word and turned around. He was shocked to find a man standing where he had been seconds ago. He wore a black cloak, and his face was covered in a dark shroud, leaving only his eyes visible, glinting eerily out from the depths of his hood. Soren's hand once again strayed to the Rexbolt tome he had almost unleashed on Eliwood.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The man didn't answer him, but simply stared.

"I said-"

Soren stopped, falling to one knee as the man raised a single hand into the air in front of him, a stark white palm riddled with scars.

"You have," the man said, taking a step closer, "magnificent quintessence."

The last thing Soren remembered before blacking out was a second man appearing at the side of the first, and whispering something to him. At this the first had looked about before retracting his hand back into his cloak and disappearing from Soren's limited vision.

**And we finally have some real plot development! Just to let you know, Jaffar ties for my favorite FE 7 character, so he'll be around a bit more. Anyway, there's chapter three, and I would really like you to give me some feedback because both chapter two and three were re-writes, and I'm having a hard time convincing myself they're better than what I had them as originally. I wouldn't have re-written them in the first place, but my dad thought he would set our computer to factory default without telling me so yeah...anywho, there won't be a post this or next wednesday, and have a good spring break!**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, here I am, more than a day late and way more than a dollar short. Hopefully this chapter will make up for last week's absence of an update, and I hope it's not too long, I couldn't find a good cut off point. Without further ado, here's chapter four. **

Ike sat next to the bed, watching Soren's chest rise and fall as he struggled on through his shallow breathing. His mind, though, was back outside the castle, running through exactly what had happened to his friend.

_Ike calmly exited the gates and headed for the trees, knowing that was probably where his friend had fled to. Hopefully this wouldn't take nearly as long as he thought it would. He pushed aside some foliage as he entered the undergrowth, calling Soren's name as he walked._

"_Soren, you can come out, we need to talk," he said, stopping as his steel toed boot kicked something on the ground._

_Ike bent, picking it up from the ground, his eyebrows coming together as he found himself looking at Soren's Rexbolt tome. _

"_Soren, seriously, where are you?" he called, tucking the tome into his belt as he pulled aside another low hanging branch, coming to a halt as he saw Soren on the ground in front of him. _

_He was face down, and as Ike turned him over he could see nothing wrong with him. As he bent over and rested his ear on his chest, his stomach lurched. Soren's heart was hardly beating, but the irregular rhythm was what worried him the most. He lifted his friend and threw him over his shoulder, making his way back to the castle as fast as he could, swing Ragnell from side to side as he cleared a path. When he reached the castle he ran up the stairs, taking a sharp left as he entered, remembering that Eliwood had said something about the dining hall being in that direction._

_Lyn had jumped from her seat as the dining hall doors were kicked in and Ike entered, Soren draped over one shoulder._

"_What happened?" she asked, rushing over and helping Ike lay him out on the table._

"_I don't know," he answered, "I found him like this a short way into the forest. Something's wrong with his heart, is there a healer in the castle?"_

_Eliwood nodded and ran out the doors, returning a minute later with a dark-red haired girl. She wore a deep green dress and held a staff in one hand._

"_Ike, this is Priscilla," he said, bringing the girl over to the table._

_Ike acknowledged her with a nod. She looked laid back; he hoped she could handle this. As soon as she saw Soren she was at the table side, a look of concern spread over her soft features._

"_What happened," she asked, in a more commanding tone than Ike had expected._

"_I don't know, I found him like this," he answered._

_Priscilla moved around so she was standing at Soren's head before raising her staff over him. As she closed her eyes the orb on the end of the staff began to glow and she placed one hand over Soren's face. After a few minutes, she dropped her hand back to her side, her expression now worried._

"_I don't know what's wrong, it's like he's not even there," she said, "I'm sorry, I just don't know what to do."_

"_I do."_

_The group turned to see Ninian in the doorway, her gaze fixed on Soren. She made her way over to the table and looked down at him, her eyes moving up and down as she examined him. _

"_He's been drained," she said, turning her sorrowful gaze to Eliwood._

_Eliwood took a step back as he looked down at the mage in front of him, "You don't mean…someone drained him of his quintessence?"_

_Ninian nodded, and placed both hands on either side of Soren's head, "Someone stole it from him…"_

_She trailed off as she closed her eyes, and her body shifted as an invisible force lifted her onto her toes, an aura surrounding her._

"_Wait, Ninian, you're not feeling well," Eliwood said, "It might be too much."_

"_But nothing else will be enough," she said as her eyelids fluttered open, eyes flashing as she held the forces she had summoned at bay, "he won't make it through the night."_

_After a moment of pained indecision, Eliwood nodded and took a step back to watch. Ninian once again closed her eyes, and as she turned her face downward over Soren's there was a short series of flashes. At that, Ninian's hands dropped to her sides and she turned, her half lidded gaze wandering the room._

"_It's done…" she murmured._

_Eliwood stepped forward, catching her in his arms as she fell, and turned to the others. _

"_You can move him to Isadora and Harken's room…they're on business in Bern," he said as he strode out the door._

_Ike threw Soren over his shoulder once again and looked at the others._

"_Follow me," Priscilla said, "my room is next to Isadora's."_

_The small group followed them to the doorway, where they slowly dispersed, finally leaving just Ike and Priscilla to watch over the fallen mage… _

And that's where they were still, hours afterward, watching as Soren's unconscious battle continued into the night and early morning hours. Ike could see the sun just beginning to peek over the distant horizon.

"I'm…sorry," Priscilla said, causing Ike to look up as she broke the silence that had spanned the last few hours.

"For what?" he asked.

"Not being able to help…I couldn't do anything for him," she said, "It was Ninian that had to save him."

Ike was quiet for a moment as he contemplated what to say before shrugging, "Don't let it bother you. It's not like you wouldn't have done something if you could, you just didn't know what happened."

"I'm sure it's easy to say that…but as a healer there's only one thing I do; I feel as though I was useless."

"You can't always know what's needed, and even when you do you can't always act on it," he said, "I may not be a healer, but I know that's one thing that we all deal with."

"I suppose…but he's your best friend, isn't he? I wanted to help…" she said, her tone saying Ike's words hadn't helped at all.

Ike sighed, "Priscilla, is it? My sister's a healer too, a very good one, and even she knows there are things that just can't be healed. When our father died, the only thing she wanted to do was wave a staff over him, have him leap back to his feet and tell us not to worry…and it took her a while to get over it, but she knows there was nothing she could have done."

Priscilla nodded, "Yes…you and your sister, you sound as if you're close."

"You're right, we are," he said, hoping a subject change would lighten the mood, "do you have any siblings?"

Priscilla's face darkened, and Ike mentally kicked himself.

"…yes," she said, haltingly, "but we don't talk often. He's distant, working as a mercenary. I rarely see him. It's not as if we have a bad relationship…it just that there's hardly a relationship at all. Tell me…what's it like being so close to her, your sister? Do you still fight, disappoint each other?"

"Well…yes, but we always tend to forget about it. There was that one time though…" Ike said, trailing off, thinking back to that dark, dark day in his family history.

"What happened?" Priscilla asked.

Ike leaned back in his chair with a groan, "She went and married my idiot of a best friend."

Ike smiled slightly as Priscilla broke into an infectious giggle, filling the room with laughter.

"You can't be serious, I thought you were going to say something awful," she said, a smile now gracing her features.

"If you knew him then you would realize that it _was_ awful. I've got him for a brother-in-law now, and that's the worst thing she has ever done to me," he said with a laugh, "I forgave her eventually though."

"What's her name?" Priscilla asked, looking at Soren for a moment as he turned in his fitful sleep before growing still.

"Mist," he answered.

Priscilla didn't respond as the door opened, the two turning in their chairs to see who it was. Hector filled the doorframe, an axe over one shoulder.

"Hey Priscilla, Lucius just got in with Raven, thought you'd want to go say hello," he said, towering over her as he spoke.

Priscilla blinked, "Raven? I thought he wasn't due back until next month."

"Ha! So did Eliwood, should have seen the look on his face when Raven walked in and started laying into him about the last job he'd given him," he laughed.

"Oh. I suppose I should greet him and Lucius…it was nice talking with you, Ike," she said, heading for the door.

Ike said nothing as he watched her go; so much for lightening the mood.

"Hey, don't think you're off the hook," Hector said as Ike turned back to Soren, "twelve hours stuffed up in here is enough to drive anyone mad. Come on, we're going to have that spar."

"Someone has to watch Soren," Ike said.

"I will," Ninian said, stepping out from behind Hector's broad back, "you should go with Lord Hector."

Hector grimaced, "Ninian, what have I told you about addressing me? I thought we were friends."

"I'm sorry, but you've always been Lord Hector to me, it's not going to change," she said with a slight smile.

"Yeah yeah…" Hector grumbled, "so are you coming, Ike?"

Ike looked back at Soren. He really was itching to put himself to the test against someone like Hector, and Soren would probably be fine with Ninian. Not to mention the two would have plenty to talk about when he awoke…

"Sure," he said, hauling Ragnell up to his shoulder as he stood.

"Don't kill each other, I'm sure Soren will want to speak with you when he wakes up," Ninian said, her expression as serious as could be.

She closed the door as Hector waved her comment aside and headed off down the hallway, Ike at his side.

"Hector…is Ninian half dragon?" Ike asked, thinking back to their earlier discussion.

"No, she's _all_ dragon. Both her and her brother. Why?" he replied.

"Just wondering…" Ike said, "She has a brother?"

"Yeah, his name's Nils, he's been gone for a while though, went back through the Dragon's Gate the last time it was opened," Hector answered, coming to a stop as they reached the training grounds, "Here we are."

Ike looked around the spacious area, the landscape was dotted with knights dashing back and forth on horses, as well as axe and swordsmen, training with one another as the sound of clashing weapons rose into the air. He followed Hector over to a clear area, stopping as the other man turned and drew a line in the dirt.

"Ready?" he said, hefting his axe as a grin split his features.

Ike said nothing, but brought Ragnell down to his side, at the ready. He noticed some of the other knights had stopped their training to look in their direction, murmuring as they waited to see what would happen. Some of them went as far as to set down their weapons and come closer, eager to see the newcomer who was going to get wrecked by Lord Hector.

Ike looked back at Hector, their gazes locking as he exhaled, his breathing the only sound in the now silent training grounds. Hector's grin widened and Ike moved; the match had started.

As Ike came in low, Hector used the flat of the axe-head to block Ragnell, his grin disappearing as he felt the force behind Ike's swing. He jerked the handle down towards Ike, bringing the blade around as the other man jumped to the side.

Hector was surprised by the speed with which Ike used his sword, he didn't think anything that heavy should move that fast, and before he could launch another attack he was pushed back by another crushing blow from the massive blade. After a brief moment of back peddling he stood his ground and forced himself to push Ike's sword aside and go on the offensive once again, he couldn't let himself be overpowered so easily.

Ike rolled to the side as Hector pressed him backwards, his axe crashing down where he had stood seconds ago. As he rose he brought Ragnell up, locking its blade with Hector's axe-head. The two men eyed each over their weapons for a moment before pulling apart to continue; this was going to take quite a while.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Lyn looked around as the sound of cheering reached her ears.

"Wil…do you hear that?" she asked, turning to the archer that stood next to her.

"…uh huh…" he said absentmindedly, more focused on the target he was sighting than what she'd said.

"You didn't even hear what I said," she said, an exasperated smile on her face.

He let the arrow fly, not bothering to watch it as he turned to look at her, "Nope. What was the question?"

"I asked if you heard that noise, it seems to be coming from over there," she said, pointing towards the far side of the training grounds.

"Now that you mention it, I do," he said, turning in the direction she was pointing, "It's probably just Hector and Eliwood pounding each other into the ground again, I hear it's quite a spectacle."

"No, they don't cheer like that for them, at least, not anymore. Come on, let's go see what's going on," she replied, heading off towards the noise.

Wil shrugged and followed her off towards the other side of the training grounds, smiling as he glanced over his shoulder and saw his arrow, buried halfway up the shaft into the bull's-eye.

As the two crested a gentle hill, they could see a large crowd had formed a ring around two others, who were clashing in the middle. Lyn sighed as she and Wil made their way to the crowd's edge, she could already tell one of the men in the middle was Hector.

"What's going on?" she asked, pulling aside a cavalier on the ring's outer edge.

"Wha- Oh, Lady Lyn! You should have been here for the start of it! They've been going at it for the better part of an hour now!" he shouted over the noise, gesturing towards the ring's center.

"Who?" she asked, trying to see through the thoroughly enamored crowd.

"Lord Hector and one of the new arrivals," the man answered, turning back to the fight.

"Ike?" Lyn said, looking over at Wil, who was using his greater height to his advantage as he peered through the sea of people.

"Yeah, that's Ike. He seems to be holding his own, and using that dead weight of a sword to boot," he said, a smile playing across his face.

Lyn mentally cursed her height and began to make her way through the crowd, a lengthy process that consisted of tapping people on the shoulders, causing them to turn around and start to tell her to shove off until they realized who it was. As she arrived at the inner part of the circle she saw that it indeed was her husband and Ike, both sweating bullets as they tried in vain to get the upper hand.

Lyn watched in amazement as Ike effortlessly turned aside Hector's axe with a flip of his wrist, forcing Hector to back off until he'd regained his footing. She had never been able to make him do that, their matches were usually one sided.

She watched as Ike sidestepped and hammered Hector in the chest with his shoulder, only to have him push right back, causing the two to come to a halt that she was sure was one of many they'd had throughout the match.

"Ready…to give up," Hector asked, straining to push Ike back as their eyes met.

Ike didn't answer, but dropped his gaze down to Hector's axe, his eyes stopping as he saw what he was looking for.

"Nope," he said, jumping back suddenly, causing Hector to stumble momentarily as he stopped himself from falling flat on his face, "but I think you are."

"Not a chance," Hector said, bringing his axe up slowly, knowing Ike couldn't move much faster. At least, that's what he'd assumed.

Hector suddenly found his axe blown aside by a flurry of blows he didn't know Ike still had left in him; it was all he could do to maintain his grip on the weapon. He leapt back from the onslaught and tried to renew his attack, but as soon as his axe was up Ike leapt forward, bringing Ragnell down with two hands as he swung, his eyes locked on the area just under the axe-head, focusing on the tiny crack he'd seen moments before.

Hector's stumbled back as Ike's sword crashed into, and through, his own weapon, causing the head to spin off into the bushes and leaving him with a broken haft. He stared at his broken weapon for a moment before looking up; Ike was standing there, sword in the ground next to him, eyeing Hector as he tried to catch his breath.

Hector jumped at the chance, Ike thought it was over, and even a broken weapon was better than nothing. He rushed forward, intent on closing the distance between them before Ike could get his sword up. To his surprise, Ike ripped his sword from the earth and hurled it into the air, leaping after it as Hector came to a halt, trying to dodge the blow he knew was coming. As Ike came crashing down on him, he raised the haft, determined to turn aside at least the brunt of the attack. As Ragnell slid down the shaft's length, however, the flat clipped his shoulder, and Hector's vision swam. He dropped his broken weapon as he fell to his knees, trying to focus on Ike as he came in for what looked like another attack. He felt the flat once again catch him on the arm as Ike performed a backwards handspring, throwing him onto his back. Once again, Hector felt suddenly exhausted, and his vision swayed back and forth. He watched as what looked like three Ike's, all with a Ragnell on their shoulder, walked over and looked down at him.

"Ready for another one?" Ike asked, extending his hand after the other man had caught his breath.

Hector grasped Ike's hand and pulled himself to his feet, wobbling as he tried to balance.

"What in the name of Elimine was that?" he said, holding onto a tree for support.

He didn't bothering waiting for a response, but turned to Lyn as she rushed up, the rest of the audience beginning to clamor as they recovered from the shock of seeing Lord Hector thrown on his back like a new recruit at his first day of training.

"Hector, are you okay?" she asked, taking his face in her hands and looking into his eyes as they continued to roll about, trying to focus the lilting world.

"Yeah I'm fine…just a little tired," he answered.

"And you should be, they told me that fight was going on for an hour," Lyn said, not bothering to hide the concern in her voice.

"No, I was fine up until the very end," Hector insisted, "Ike, what _was_ that?"

Ike smiled ruefully, "Just a trick I picked up. Don't worry, you'll be fine, you didn't get hit very hard."

"What?" Hector coughed, "You're joking?"

"No I'm not. That usually levels most people, and even though you're stronger than most I'm sure you'd be taking a nap in the dirt if I'd pushed it any further," he answered.

"But what- oh never mind!" Hector sputtered, "I'm too dizzy to concentrate right now. Later you're going to explain to me exactly what you just did though."

"Fine," Ike said, looking around as Lyn helped Hector off the field, "anyone else up for a match?"

"Ike, you shouldn't."

Ike turned to find Priscilla making her way through the crowd, followed by a man who had the same red hair as herself and….Ike squinted. If he wasn't mistaken that was indeed another man following the first, but he wouldn't be surprised if he was wrong.

"We were watching from the hilltop Ike, you shouldn't push yourself anymore today," Priscilla said, coming to a stop as she looked Ike over, "Although I do admit, you don't look very tired."

"I'm not. Is this your brother?" he asked, changing the subject as he gestured to the red haired man behind her.

"Yes, this is my brother, Raven. Raven, this is Ike, he arrived yesterday with a friend of his," Priscilla said, introducing the two.

Raven simply nodded curtly and averted his gaze as he looked over the training grounds.

"And this is?" Ike asked, gesturing to the assumed man standing next to Raven.

"This is Lucius," Priscilla said, her expression lightening as she introduced the two, "he's been traveling with Raven longer than I've known him."

"_Ah, he,"_ Ike thought.

"Nice to meet you," Ike said, giving the acolyte a slight inclination of his head.

Lucius smiled and bowed back, "A pleasure to meet you. I must say, it was quite a shock to see anyone do that to Hector."

"Not that hard," Raven said icily as Ike tried to think of something to respond with.

"Ah, right," Ike said, wondering if there was something between the two, "Priscilla, you haven't checked on Soren again, have you?"

"No, I was just about to, why don't you come," she said, turning to go back up into the castle.

Ike followed, noticing that Lucius stayed behind, followed Raven about as the man further examined the training grounds. He wondered if that's how he looked, a large man with a sword followed by a seemingly frail companion. Come to think of it, there were times when Soren had been called a woman, always from behind though. Soren's face wasn't nearly as feminine as that. As the two began to mount the castle steps they began to talk amiably once again, their voices beginning to echo as they entered the large halls.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ninian looked up as Soren's arm twitched, and the mage suddenly sat up, eyes snapping open. At the sight of Ninian he reached into the folds of his cloak, his face paling when he found his tomes missing.

"You're books are next to you," Ninian said, watching as Soren's eyes darted to the bedside table, settling on the three tomes stacked on top of each other.

"Where's Ike?" Soren asked, slowly pulling his tomes closer, his eyes returning to Ninian.

"He's at the training grounds with Lord Hector. He waited in here for twelve hours though, before we could drag him out," she answered.

"That's to be expected," Soren said, "he's stubborn."

"As are you," Ninian said, her eyes refusing to leave his face, "he told us why you ran."

Soren's heart fluttered; surely Ike hadn't told them the real reason?

"What did he say?" Soren asked, testing the waters.

"Only what I already knew," Ninian replied.

"And what was that," Soren pressed, hoping she was bluffing.

"Soren, while it may be rare, to most people over here being half dragon will mean nothing," she said, ignoring his question.

Soren visibly blanched, Ike had told them the truth? Then that either meant Ninian was serious, or Ike wasn't at the training grounds, but locked up in a dungeon somewhere. Soren's eyes flickered as he looked at the door, trying to decide which it was.

"How did they know," Soren asked, trying to stall her in case it was the latter option.

"They didn't, I did. You may be only half, but it's easy for me to tell my own kind, Soren. Especially you, your dragon blood is powerful. I can feel what it does to your quintessence," she said, watching as Soren froze.

"What," he said, all thoughts of escape disappearing from his mind.

"Look at me, Soren," Ninian said, "I don't look anything like anyone you've met so far."

Soren took a closer look at the girl in front of him. True, her hair and eyes were so different from everyone else's, but that wasn't enough to prove anything to him.

"You're telling me you're a dragon?" he asked.

"Me, and my brother. You'll meet him eventually," she said.

"How old are you," Soren asked.

Ninian laughed, "Is it not considered impolite to ask a woman's age where you come from?"

"Answer the question," he said.

Ninian sighed, "The Scouring was a millennium ago…that would make me one-thousand, no?"

Soren found it hard to keep his jaw shut; she didn't look a day older than eighteen.

"Claims are easy things to make," he said, denying the possibility she was anywhere near that age.

"Then Soren," she said, her expression becoming solemn, "let me ask you, what is your age?"

Soren looked away, her point clear. He was older than people guessed; he was close in years to Ike, but ever since his birthday a few years back he'd hardly aged at all. Being branded did that to you, which was why he preferred to ignore it.

"Would you like to go see Ike?" Ninian asked.

"Yes," Soren said, swinging his legs over the side if the bed.

"Ninian," he said quietly, following her out the door, "can we…speak again?"

Ninian smiled as she closed the door and headed off down the hall, "If you wish."

Ninian stopped as they rounded a corner and found Ike coming towards them, Priscilla at his side.

"Ike we were just- what have you done?" she asked, her eyes flaring.

"What?" Ike asked, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at Soren, who shrugged and looked away.

"Where's Lord Hector," she demanded, almost frantically.

"In his room," Priscilla said, her eyes worried, "what's wrong? He was tired after their spar."

"As he should be," Ninian said, eyeing Ike cautiously, "Ike's stolen his quintessence. I can feel it, it doesn't belong."

"Wait a minute," Ike said, holding up a hand, "what is quintessence? You keep throwing around that word, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ike was surprised as Priscilla too took a step back, looking at him oddly, "It's a person's life force. Someone almost killed Soren by draining him of his own."

"Ike," Soren said, "you didn't use Aether on Hector, did you?"

"Yes, I did, I took it easy on him though," he said, "I couldn't have won otherwise."

"Is he okay?" Soren asked.

"Of course, he's just a bit disoriented," Ike answered.

"Then I fail to see the problem," Soren said, turning to Ninian, "Ike knows his limits."

"We consider stealing quintessence a path that leads to corruption. It's a dark secret that is guarded closely," Ninian offered, "we've had…trouble with people abusing it in the past."

"While it may not be common, it's no secret in Tellius," Soren said, "about a fifth of our mercenaries can do it, myself included."

Ninian and Priscilla fell silent as they looked at the two, considering what to do next.

"If you like," Ike said, "I can just tell Hector what I did when he's feeling better."

"Yes," Ninian said, still a bit disturbed by the sudden news, "I think you'd better."

With that, an uncomfortable silence fell over the group, leaving Ike to wonder if this would prove a larger obstacle than Soren's running away.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Wil laughed as he walked back towards the archery grounds; that fight had been unbelievable, and he'd only been there for the tail end. As he approached the target range he located the one he'd used, frowning when he saw it. His lone arrow was now surrounded by a ring of arrows, all cleanly in the bull's-eye. He moved closer to the target, and pulled one out, scrutinizing it closely. It was Sacaen.

"Rath," he said with a grin as he turned around, "come on, where are you?"

He walked back over to the line drawn in the dirt that all archers shot from and found hoof marks he had failed to notice earlier.

"Come on Rath, I know it's you. You can't hide just because I beat you in our last shoot out," he said, heading towards the small but dense patch of foliage that provided the archers with shade on the hotter days.

As he entered the tall grasses he stopped as his foot connected with something soft. He pushed aside some of the greenery and froze. A horse laid in front of him, dead, an arrow through its eye.

"Rath?" he called quietly, taking up his own bow and nocking an arrow.

As he moved deeper into the trees he heard the sound of movement. Shouldering aside a low hanging branch he saw Rath on the ground, wordlessly thrashing about as a cloaked man stood above him, a single white hand impassively extended over Rath's struggling form.

"Rath!" Wil shouted.

The figure turned and Wil paled, looking into the golden eyes that glowed at him from the depths of a hood. Before the man could move again Wil's bow was up, and he shot the morph at pointblank through the forehead. No blood came as the man staggered backwards against a tree, silently struggling with the arrow in his head for a few seconds before dematerializing. Wil blinked as it happened, leaving an arrow buried in a black cloak at the base of the tree; it was something he'd hoped never to see again.

**And so it begins, the first morph sighting! I liked this chapter, it had enough casual dialogue and action to keep me happy. For clarification though, I did make some assumptions about Soren's birth, and moves that restore HP in PoR. As far as I know, Soren's birth was never addressed, only that he met Ike when he was very young, or so he appeared. Anyway, hope you liked it, drop me a review as you leave if you've got the time.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, I'm a little late today, but studying so I don't have to take finals will do that to me. However, next week I may be days late instead of a few hours. Just thought I'd give you a heads up, enjoy.**

Wil suppressed the urge to vomit as he stood over Rath. The man's skin had become completely translucent, and Wil could see thin blue veins running under his skin. His eyes were shifting uncontrollably under their lids and sweat ran down his face. Wil set down his bow and hoisted Rath over both shoulders, staggering as he headed for the castle. No one would call him the strongest of Caelin's knights, but he would manage, somehow.

Lyn made her way to the door as the sound of impatient thumping echoed through the halls, slightly piqued that they felt the need to knock so loudly; Hector had just fallen into an exhausted sleep. As soon as she opened the door she was shoved aside as Wil stumbled in, Rath over his shoulders, and fell to his knees. Rath sprawled out on the floor.

"Wil! What happened?" she asked, fearing the worst.

Wil's eyes turned up to look at her as he gasped out the single word, "Morph."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Matthew whistled quietly as he walked down the hall, tossing a key to himself as he went. As he reached the end of the hallway he stopped, leaning against the wall, a roguish grin spreading across his features. He waited only a moment before hearing what he'd been waiting for.

"Maaaattheeeewwww!"

He let out a bark of laughter and sprinted around the corner as Oswin came barreling down the hallway he'd just come from.

"Matthew! Get back here this instant! I need that key to get into the armory and you're going to give it back immediately!" he shouted, huffing as he tried to chase down the fleet-footed thief.

Matthew just laughed harder and continued down the hall; it had been a dreary week and Oswin more than deserved it, "Not a chance, you'll just have to break down the door!"

"Matthew," Oswin said, stopping as he could no longer speak and run at the same time, "fine!"

"Yes?" Matthew said, poking his head around the corner at the end of the hall.

"I'll trade," the older knight said bitterly.

"Oh really?" Matthew said, walking down the hall slowly as he spun the key around his finger by the leather cord it was tied to, "Are you sure? I think I'm beginning to enjoy having power over the armory."

"Just give it to me," Oswin said, pulling out a brown piece of rolled parchment as Matthew came to a stop ten full feet away from him.

Before he could blink Oswin suddenly found himself holding the key, looking at Matthew as the spy turned and walked back down the hallway, waving the parchment at him from over his shoulder.

Matthew grinned as he heard the knight sigh and grumble something before turning to clunk down the hallway towards the locked armory doors. Matthew gave the parchment a brief once over before tucking it into his satchel; Oswin had been holding it over his head for the past week since Lord Hector left, and it made him reconsider the wisdom of signing the fell contract. Although it was explicitly in terms of his own loyalty to Hector, the marquess had seen it fit to give it to Oswin in his absence, and the old knight had been making him do things all week because of it. But now that the issue had been resolved he could go back to business as usual.

"Matthew!"

The spy's blood chilled at the sound of the high pitched shrieking of his name. Only one thing in the castle could say his name like that, and it was Serra. He had to hide.

Matthew ducked into the shadows just as the boisterous cleric came around the corner and rushed past him as he watched from the darkness, "Matthew! I need your help, and if you don't come out right now I'll get Oswin to make you!"

Matthew backed away slowly until he could turn and run without alerting her of his presence, he had gotten pulled into one too many of her projects over the course of the week to stick around and see how it played out. As her voice finally faded away, unbelievably enough, Matthew slowed and started to take the long way back to his quarters. As he passed Hector and Lyn's room he stopped, hearing a muted sound coming from within. He put his ear to the door and listened, it sounded as if someone was going through the drawers. He frowned. Hector and Lyn were gone, which meant that someone was in there who wasn't supposed to be.

Matthew pulled a lock pick out of his satchel and smoothly inserted it into the keyhole; locked doors meant little to him. As a light click came from the door's mechanism Matthew paused to stow his lock pick, listening to see if the intruder had heard the noise. As the sound of drawers opening and closing continued he silently opened the door, glad this was one of the few that didn't squeak. As soon as it was opened far enough he slipped in and closed it once again. A man stood by the many dressers and furniture in the room, methodically opening the drawers, taking out the contents, and then replacing them exactly as they had been before he'd searched them.

"You're late," the man said, his voice a low monotone, "did you find anything?"

Matthew was surprised; apparently he had not been quiet enough.

"Just a man, searching through drawers that he isn't supposed to," Matthew replied, answering before an awkward silence could develop. He disliked those.

The man whirled around, leaving the drawer in front of him half empty. Matthew frowned, he had something brown spread across his skin, and he kept his eyes hidden in the depths of his hood.

"You're not supposed to be here," the man said, shifting slightly, cueing Matthew to the fact that he was about to make a move.

Matthew swayed as the man seemed to disappear, and he felt a slight breeze as a dagger flew by his head. Matthew smiled, the man was fast, but if he just applied himself a bit more…

Matthew's eyes snapped to his left as he began to follow his opponent's movements, nothing escaped him for long. He threw his arm up as another dagger flew his way and plucked it from the air as it spun by, hurling it back at his attacker. The blade caught the man's shoulder as he pivoted to his right and Matthew's smile disappeared as he drew his own daggers and went on the offensive. He knew what he had to do, and apprehending was always more difficult than killing.

As he bore down on the man his daggers flashed, spinning a web around him as the spy tried to disarm him without striking anything vital. For a few moments they were locked in a silent struggle, pushing each other across the room as they grappled for an advantage over the other.

Matthew's eyes flashed as the man's arm faltered in his attacks, he was visibly weakening. It wouldn't be much longer. After another moment Matthew forced the blade from his hand and tackled him, spinning the intruder around as they fell so he landed on his back. Matthew quickly grabbed the nearest sheet off the bed and tied it around the man's arms and legs, leaving him hogtied. Matthew brushed himself off as he rose, it would be easy to struggle out of, but for now would have to do.

"Come on," he said, taking a hold of the man's tied appendages and dragging him from the room, "I'm sure Oswin would love to meet you."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Morphs?" Hector bellowed, nearly falling from his chair as he stared at Lyn; he was still a bit tipsy.

Lyn nodded and looked around at the others. She had decided that those to find out would be limited to Wil, Eliwood, Hector, Ike, Soren, and Ninian, who was busy with Priscilla as they worked on Rath. Ike and Soren had both already been informed about the nature of morphs, as well as a brief rundown of what had happened only a few years ago. Both had grim expressions on their faces, not that it was a change from the usual.

"Are you sure?" Hector pressed, looking over at Wil.

"Of course, would _you_ mistake seeing one of those again, with those eyes?" he said, his leg bouncing up and down as he tapped his foot, a nervous habit that came out at times like this.

"No…no I wouldn't, sorry," Hector replied, "It's just I hoped to never hear that word again."

"None of us wanted to, but now that we have we need to do something about it," Eliwood said, joining the conversation he'd so far stayed out of.

"And what do you propose, exactly?" Hector asked, turning his gaze to his friend.

"First, we do the obvious and find out why they're coming back in the first place. We need to look into the possibility of someone…making them," he said, looking around the table.

The others nodded their approval, not that there was much else to do in the situation.

"But before that," Eliwood continued, "Soren, now that you've been safely returned to the land of the living, we would like to ask you about what happened."

Soren was silent for a moment, seeming to have not heard Eliwood, before he spoke, "It was sundown. I had been hiding in the forest since I had made it out of the castle. I was about to go back in for Ike when I heard a noise behind me. I turned and found a man standing there. He wore a black cloak, and his skin was stark white. I couldn't see his face, but his eyes glowed golden from inside his hood. From what you've told me, it was a morph."

"Yes…" Eliwood said, pondering what Soren had said, "Was there anything that stood out about him?"

"Such as?" Soren asked.

"Like…for instance, are you sure his cloak was black? It wasn't red…was it?" Eliwood asked.

"No," Soren answered as soon as the words had left Eliwood's mouth, "It was black. However, I remember the skin that I could see, his hands I suppose, were badly scarred. After that it all gets foggy. I fell to the ground, a second one joined him, and then I blacked out. I would imagine they left me or I'd be dead right now."

"Scars?" Eliwood said, looking over at Hector.

The only morph that looked like perhaps he'd been scarred was the magic seal, but Soren had already confirmed the morph had not been wearing red.

"Any ideas?" Eliwood asked.

"Nope," Hector replied, "but you can be sure a few more morphs are going to have some scars when I'm finished with them. As soon as I recover from that blasted duel with this idiot, that is."

Ike sighed, he still had yet to tell them what he'd done; Ninian and Priscilla were still the only ones who knew.

"Actually," Ike said, "I have something to tell you. I promised Ninian I would."

"Oh? What is it?" Eliwood asked, wondering how many more surprises Ike and Soren held in store for them.

"It's about what happened during our spar," Ike said.

"Yes, I've been wondering about that, you still owe me an explanation," Hector said, sitting up straighter as he waited for his answer.

"Well…the bottom line is that I drained your quintessence," Ike said, watching as eyebrows shot up around the table.

"You…you what?" Hector said, locking eyes with the blue haired man before him.

"I've only just had the details of quintessence explained to me, but that's what I did. Ninian noticed as soon as she ran into me after the battle," Ike said.

"And you did it on purpose?" Lyn asked.

"Yes, but I suppose you could chalk it up to differences once again. In Tellius it's not common, but no one's surprised to meet someone with the skills to do it. We just don't have a name for it. As far as I'm concerned, it's simply a technique to be used with care," Ike answered.

"Which he can do," Soren added, "made evident by Hector's more than stable condition."

The room fell silent as the group considered what Ike had said. It was true, they had only ever met people who had misused the skill, and that seemed like a good enough reason to them to prohibit it. However, Lyn thought, whenever she looked at Ike she couldn't help but trust him. And true enough, their opinions were bound to be biased.

"Shall we…." she said, looking over at Hector.

"Brush it under the rug?" Hector asked, an eyebrow raised, "…sure, why not. I'm still here after all."

"Wait," Soren said, "by that I hope you don't mean to imply you'll attempt to prohibit us from using the skill again."

"No, of course not- wait, what? You can do it too?" Hector said, staring down at the slight mage.

"Did you think otherwise?" Soren asked, daring the other man to call him incompetent.

"No, I guess not…" Hector said, trailing off as he grumbled to himself.

"Either way, we won't hold it against you," Lyn said, "it's just going to take us a while to get used to it."

"I understand, if it helps I'll refrain from using it during our spars," Ike said, glad that they had finally seemed to relax.

"That would definitely make it easier," Hector said, putting a palm to his forehead, "I'm still reeling from the last one."

"So," Eliwood said, "now that that's been settled, we still have to decide what to do about the morphs."

"No we don't."

Those at the table turned as Jaffar stepped out from the shadows.

"You have an idea?" Eliwood said, surprised. Jaffar usually waited quietly until he was addressed directly, he almost never volunteered input.

"Yes. So far, both attacks have happened while the morphs were sure they were alone," he said, "So I think the obvious thing to do would be to lock me outside the castle tonight. That would be more than enough incentive to provoke them."

"I suppose we could do that, you want to make it tonight?" Eliwood replied.

Ike was surprised that Eliwood hadn't given the suggestion some more thought, it made him wonder what he would have been up against if he had been Jaffar's target instead of Soren.

"Yes," Jaffar answered, falling back into his one word replies.

Eliwood stood, "Then that settles it. Jaffar, we'll open the gates at dawn, report what you've found at that time."

Jaffar nodded and disappeared into the shadows. Ike rose and followed Soren out of the room as the others followed suit.

"So, what now," he asked, looking down at his friend.

"We wait," Soren answered, not bothering to look up.

Ike sighed and continued to head towards their room, at least Jaffar would have an interesting night.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Oswin looked up as Matthew entered the room, dragging a bound man behind him.

"You'll never guess what I've been up to," the spy said cheerfully.

"Do I want to?" Oswin said, looking down at the man Matthew had unceremoniously thrown in the center of the armory.

"I would hope so," Matthew said, "I found him sneaking around in Lord Hector and Lady Lyn's quarters."

Oswin seemed to grow ten feet as his brow furrowed in anger, "He was what? Who is he?"

"I have no idea," Matthew said, "but why don't we take a closer look?"

He sat the man up and pulled his hood off, raising an eyebrow as the odd sight met his eyes. The man had both eyes clenched shut, and had his head down, refusing to turn his face up towards Matthew and Oswin.

"Well he's an odd one," Matthew said, bending over to take a closer look.

The spy wiped his fingers over the man's skin and stared at them as they came away with a dark brown substance clinging to them.

"Is that…makeup?" Oswin asked, the anger in his voice offset by puzzlement.

"Yes," Matthew said, his jovial demeanor disappearing as he noticed the color of the man's skin underneath, "Oswin, hand me a brush will you? I know the cavaliers leave a few in here."

The knight handed him a brush, and he proceeded to wipe off the man's face, who jerked back and forth as he tried to evade the offending bristles. Matthew's heart dropped into his stomach as the last of the cover layer came off. The man's skin was ghastly white. He was now staring at Matthew, his eyes glowing as he locked eyes with the spy.

"This isn't good, Matthew," Oswin said, taking a rope off the wall and binding the morph more tightly as he spoke.

"I know….what's worse is he mistook me for a contact when I first entered the room," Matthew replied, exchanging a worried glance with Oswin.

"You mean to tell me there's another one roaming the castle?" Oswin said, taking a seat as he tried to take it in.

"Yes, but I should be able to find him, no one's better at-"

"No," Oswin said, cutting Matthew off, "you need to ride to Pherae and tell Lord Hector what's going on. I'll coordinate a search here."

Matthew looked as if he wanted to protest, but he nodded, "Alright then. I'll leave immediately."

Oswin nodded and Matthew walked out the door, leaving Oswin to deal with the morph situation.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jaffar crouched against the castle wall, hidden in the shrubbery on the side of the castle. His head was bent between his knees and his eyes were mere slits, his peripheral vision was working overtime however. His so-called standby mode, as the other fangs had taken to calling it a few years back.

Jaffar shifted for the first time in hours, from what he could tell it was just after midnight, and the moon was beginning to make its way out from behind a patch of clouds. He stopped moving as a slight rustle caught his attention; it was louder than the ones the wind had been making since he'd taken up his post. His eyes found a patch of shadow that swayed oddly against the outline of the forest's edge ten meters away; someone was coming.

"I see they aren't messing around."

Jaffar stood slowly as the voice reached his ears, he was almost surprised. He knew it well.

"I shouldn't be surprised they stuck you outside," the voice continued, "it's not as if your life would have any worth to them, no?"

"I volunteered," Jaffar said flatly, "Let me see you."

"I'm not an idiot. One step more and I'm in your kill zone, I know you better than most Jaffar."

Any uncertainty in Jaffar's mind was washed away with that comment.

"How did you survive?" he asked, he hands calmly wrapped around the hilts of his daggers, readying his body for the lunge that was to come.

Instead of answering, the man continued to speak, "Found on a pile of corpses, a blade in your hand and scars on your heart…you always did fascinate me, Jaffar, and I'm the one who helped make you what you are."

"Answer my question," Jaffar said, ignoring what he said.

"Business as usual, Jaffar?"

"Answer me or I'll kill you now, answer or not," he replied.

"Why would you care?"

"Just answer me Ephidel."

Ephidel took a single step forward, letting the moonlight wash over his features. Jaffar wasn't surprised. The morph was testing him, seeing if he'd lost his edge, but he didn't care. The fact of the matter was he had lost his edge, and replaced it with a different one. Jaffar wasn't surprised, either, at Ephidel's appearance. Any visible skin was covered with ugly scars, shining in the moonlight, and his once full head of hair was nonexistent.

"You really want to know? Fine, if I must tell you, I didn't die that day at the Dragon's Gate. I was burned, as you can see, but I was able to warp away from it in time to save myself."

"But why come back, Nergal's dead," Jaffar questioned.

"Nergal? He is nothing to me anymore, I hate him," Ephidel said, his eyes lighting up.

"I thought you were incapable of emotion, much less hatred towards Nergal," Jaffar said.

"This, coming from you? Tell me Jaffar, who was Nergal's first morph to ever have emotions?" he replied.

"Kishuna," Jaffar answered.

"And for there to be a first there must at least be a second, otherwise the first is the only. I am the third, and final, morph to whom emotions were given. I stayed by Nergal's side out of loyalty to what he'd done for me. That all changed when he abandoned me at the gate," Ephidel answered.

"What happened after that?" Jaffar asked.

"I spent years recovering, healing my wounds, deciding what my next move would be. After finally deciding to kill the man who'd left me to die, I returned only to find it had already been accomplished," he replied, "And with your help, no less."

"So why all of this?"

Ephidel's face showed a hint of a smile as he spoke, "What better way is there to take my revenge on Nergal than by doing what he could not?"

"That's impossible. You're nowhere near as strong as Nergal was," Jaffar said.

"Not yet, but I will be. With enough quintessence I can become more than anyone can imagine," the morph answered.

"You'll be destroyed. Limstella only survived through sheer willpower, and at the end even she was falling apart," Jaffar countered.

"No. Limstella was a tragedy, the power of a god forced into a human's body. Nergal could not accept the fact that what he was creating were monsters, freaks of nature, so he hid us behind masks of human appearance. I will ascend beyond humanity to something more, and you will be the first to see it," Ephidel replied, his voice growing louder as he spoke, "You have grown weak Jaffar; I knew it the moment I stepped into the moonlight. As such, you shall witness the first step in my ascension. Goodbye."

Ephidel's hand flashed as he summoned his spell, the lighting already coming down as he moved. Jaffar, however, was already gone, his blades flashing only once as he drove them into the major arteries near Ephidel's shoulders. At least, where the two major arteries were supposed to be.

"Not weak," he whispered, his mouth next to Ephidel's ear as he pulled the morph closer, "different."

Ephidel's eyes narrowed, he had been so sure of himself. Sure that Jaffar would have slowed after three years of living with others, with that girl, Nino.

"Determined to be a thorn in my side, Jaffar? Fine, I will give you that much, but be prepared next time."

As Jaffar pulled his blades out to renew his attack, Ephidel glowed for a moment before disappearing from where he stood. After a brief scan of the area Jaffar sheathed his daggers and went back to his position against the castle wall. His job wasn't finished yet, but at least now he had something to report.

**Ephidel, it took me five chapters to reveal him, and I'm glad I waited that long. Of course, this is another area of conjecture on my part, I know that his canonical demise was at the Dragon's Gate, but I always considered what it would be like if he survived. I always thought he would make a good main villain, he's much more interesting that Limstella in my opinion. Anyway, my concern for this chapter was that it jumped around a bit, I hope it didn't disrupt the story. Reviews are always nice, so please let me know what you thought if you've got the time.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow, sorry about that, definitely more than a few days late. But hey, hopefully it will be worth it. This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I think it turned out fairly well. Here's number six.**

Matthew stole a glance over his shoulder before turning around and spurring his horse to move faster; they were quickly gaining on him. As he bent lower over his steed he replayed the evening's events in his mind, finally deciding that going into that bar had been his undoing; he would not, however, call it a stupid decision.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

_It was Matthew's third day of hard riding, and he sighed as the small town came into view, just outside Khathelet. He sat up a little straighter as he rode into the town, taking care to avoid the children that ran back and forth in the streets, playing as their parents went about their business. Matthew came to a halt at what seemed to be the town's only inn and dismounted, tying his horse off before entering the small building._

"_Excuse me," he said, plastering a smile on his face as he made his way to the counter, "I don't suppose you have any rooms, do you?"_

_The woman behind the counter eyed him for a moment before smiling back, "Yes we do, are you staying just the night?"_

"_I hope so, I need to be somewhere very soon," Matthew answered, sliding a small stack of coins across the worn counter top._

_After receiving his key from the woman, Matthew left the inn. There were still a few hours until sunset and he had noticed the local tavern on his way in. In his opinion, taverns were the pinnacle of spying techniques; whoever had come up with the idea of erecting a smoky, poorly lit building and then getting the patrons drunk enough to say just about anything had been a genius._

_As Matthew entered the dingy tavern he smiled, there but two lamps and a haze of smoke hovered near the low ceiling, it was everything he'd been hoping for._

"_And now to find the man with the loosest tongue…" Matthew said thoughtfully, eyes roving the bar as his ears searched for the slurred speech of a man who'd had one too many drinks. _

_After a moment he found his target, a large man with a broadsword across his back and a pint in his hand, talking almost as loud as Serra._

"_I'm telling you, there were five of them, and half of them were twice my weight," he said, talking to no one in particular as the two men on either side of him nodded absentmindedly._

_Looking at the man's protruding gut Matthew highly doubted that last statement, but he liked the man, never mind the fact that take half of five and you have one man in pieces._

"_Is that so?" Matthew said, sliding up next to him, "Where was this exactly?"_

_The man's eyes lit up at another chance to brag and he began to talk with renewed gusto, "Oh, it was just this last week while I was traveling in Pherae. These seven guys, all armed to the teeth, they jump out and start demanding my gold. Well, you can bet I didn't stand for that, so I gave em' a piece of my mind, sent em' packin' with naught but my fists. Didn't want to take the effort to use my sword you see…"_

"_Of course," Matthew nodded, smiling all the while as he nodded towards the barkeep and continued to listen to the man's ridiculous tale._

_After another hour of listen to him talk about braving the unknown horrors of traveling alone, Matthew held up a hand, cutting the man off._

"_That's impressive, I could not perform such feats to be sure, but I have seen something more terrifying than anything you have told me of thus far," he said._

_The man's brow furrowed and his lips turned down at the thought of something that could slight his adventures._

"_And what might tha' be?" he asked, his words slurred as his tongue stumbled over their creation._

"_They have been called the heralds of death by many, but no one knows what they call themselves. Perhaps you have heard of them?" Matthew said, hoping the name wasn't too ridiculous._

"_No, can't say I have, and if I haven't then they must not be as bad as you say," the man replied, still eager to put any rumors to rest that could outdo his feats._

"_Oh they are, let me tell you that for certain. You may not have heard them called by name, but perhaps you've heard someone speak of them, or even seen one yourself," Matthew said, hoping the man would bite, which due to his drunken state was more than likely._

"…_maybe. Wha' do they look like?" he asked, thoroughly interested now._

_Matthew smiled secretively, "If you've ever seen a dead man you'll know what they look like, and that's because they're dead men themselves."_

_Matthew ignored the man's obvious shock and continued, "Some would call them a cult. All I know is what I've seen and been told by others, but that was enough for me. Their skin is pure white, almost translucent, and no heart beats beneath their chest. It's been said they have sold their souls for power, and along with that their very lives. They are an elite group, their motives are known by none. One thing is certain though, and that is that they can't live without stealing the lives of others."_

"_Stealing lives?" the man said, trying to process the idea._

"_Yes. I've been unfortunate enough to have seen it. Their victims have their life drained right out of them, and then they disappear," Matthew said, his voice grave, "Anyway, this information is my gift to you, hopefully you'll never meet one if you're lucky."_

_The man was silent for a moment as he considered what Matthew had said before speaking, his voice dropping to a low whisper, barely audible over the surrounding din, "I have."_

"_Have you now?" Matthew said, trying to sound patronizing, which wasn't hard._

"_Don't look at me like that, I tell you I have. Anyone asks me and I'll deny it, but I was in Bern last week," he said._

_Matthew raised his eyebrows, now there was a tall tale, Bern was nigh impossible to get into these days, but it must be true if this man refused to admit it._

"_While I was there…I had a run-in with one of the palace guards, me and another guy," he continued, ignoring Matthew's skeptical reaction._

"_What happened?" Matthew pressed, knowing the information he'd been after was at the tip of this idiot's tongue._

"_This other guy I was traveling the city with, he started roughing up one of the guards. I don't know why, I'd only met him the day before. He was really giving one of them a hard time, calling him a freak, telling him to lift his visor and look him the eyes or something. Anyway, we left when the guard wouldn't react, but later, in the pub, my buddy caught sight of him. I don't know how he could tell, the man he pointed out was wearing a long cloak with a deep hood, but he started harassing him again."_

"_And?" Matthew continued._

"_The guy just took off, bolted out the door and down the street. Of course, the guy I was with ran off after him and after a minute I followed. I was beginning to think I'd lost em' when I spied em' down an alley. The cloaked man was bent over, and my buddy was on the ground, kicking and squirming, but he didn't make a sound. After a minute, the guy turns around looks right at me…I'll never forget that."_

"_Why, did you see his face?" Matthew asked._

"_No…it was his eyes. They were golden, like little pits off fire, glowing out from inside his hood. His hand…I saw that too, it was white, like you said. I thought he was just weird, but now that you mention it, those eyes, I bet they were the power from whatever he sold his soul to…" the man said, shuddering a bit as he trailed off._

"_Mhm," Matthew said, "That could be. Where did you go after that?"_

"_Here," the man answered, taking another sip of his drink._

_Matthew's pulse spiked as he blinked, "You came here?"_

"_Yep, straight through, wanted to get as far away from there as possible," the man replied._

_Matthew cursed and casually looked over his shoulder for the first time in hours. He paled as he saw a man sitting in the back of the bar, farther into the shadows than appeared humanly possible. _

_Matthew cursed softly, he hadn't expected this idiot to have such a close encounter with a morph, and worse than that he'd provided it with a second target-him. _

"_Well, this has been interesting, but it's getting late. I should be going, you?" Matthew asked, already working out a plan._

_The man grimaced, "Yeah, I should be going too. This isn't going to be fun to wake up to..."_

_Matthew nodded and slapped the man on the back as the two rose, "Where are you staying, friend?"_

"_The inn, you?" he answered, teetering as he stood._

"_I'm staying there as well, I'll walk back with you," Matthew answered, looking at the figure near the back of the bar as he spoke. He was still there, feet stretched out before him as he watched who knew what from inside that hood._

_The man nodded and the two headed out the door. They stopped as they left the building, both looking at the sight before them. Matthew's horse was on the ground, dead, still tethered to the post outside the tavern._

"_Wonder who's that is," the man said offhandedly, concentrating more on staying upright than the odd spectacle._

"_Yes," Matthew said, a false smile on his face, "he'll probably have a rough trip home."_

_Matthew tore his eyes from his horse, his mind crossing the steed out of his escape plan as he worked on another option. After a few hundred yards of walking he looked over his shoulder, his heart beating loudly as he saw the cloaked man from the tavern exiting the building and looking into the back alleys before following the two._

_Matthew looked back ahead of them and sighed, here was where they parted ways._

"_Come, I know a shortcut to the inn," he said, heading down the nearest alleyway. _

"_M'kay, sounds good to me," the man replied, tottering off after the spy._

_As soon as they were halfway down the long, dark area between the buildings Matthew turned to look at his trusting companion._

"_I'm sorry about this, but even if we hadn't met, what's going to happen in a few moments would be unchanged. You've gotten tangled in something way over your head, I truly wish it hadn't turned out like this, but I also don't see the sense in both of us dying tonight. Right? May St. Elimine watch over your soul," Matthew said._

"_Wha?" the man said, his foggy mind not grasping what Matthew had said._

"_Goodbye," Matthew replied._

_With that he was gone, leaving the drunken man alone in the alley as he fled across the rooftops, his only advantage being the brief delay he had left in a drunken stupor beneath him. He showed no reaction as a horrified scream was cut immediately short, echoing into the night as he moved silently across the tiled roof tops. Honestly, he was surprised the man had made it all the way here from Bern; he must have had some outrageous luck to have made it so far alone. When he reached the end of the housing he saw a man waiting in the shadows, presumably for him. Not thinking twice, he drew both blades and launched himself off the rooftop, deftly knocking the man from his horse and driving a dagger through his forehead before he could react. When no noise came from the man Matthew pulled his hood back in time to see the golden glow fade from his eyes as he disappeared into nothingness, confirming Matthew's every suspicion._

_The spy whirled around and mounted the horse, thundering down the road and out into the countryside as three more cloaked morphs appeared from the shadows in pursuit. Now it was him who was in way over his head._

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Matthew ventured another look over his shoulder at his persistent pursuers. They were a mere hundred feet behind him, a lead that was slowly lessening. He looked back ahead and bent his head lower as he spurred the tired horse to move faster. He could only hope he was setting a new record for Ostia-Pherae travel.

**There you have it, Matthew's little solo adventure, I hope you liked it despite it's length. As for further updates, I'm going say the obvious and point out that they're no longer weekly. School is still a bit crazy, so I'll let you know once I plan on making the weekly update effort once again. Thanks, and go ahead and push that purple 'go' button. I'm sure it's just as much fun as it was the first time.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow. I finally made it through high school...that was a crazy four years. Let's hope college is a bit less dramatic, eh? Anyway, now that I'm all graduated and stuffs, I should be able to devote more time to this story, hopefully job searching won't get in the way too much. Here's chapter seven, enjoy!**

Matthew's heartbeat was only slightly faster than his breathing as he peered out from behind a large pine tree. It had been hours since he'd run the morph's horse to the ground, leaving it behind while he continued on foot, and thankfully that had been a few minutes _after_ his pursuer's steeds had collapsed as well. Now he was just outside Pherae's castle town, he could see it from his current position, and it was driving him crazy. As much as he would have liked to tell himself he could make it in a single mad dash, he knew the three morphs would be on him faster than his tired legs could carry him to the castle gates. He rolled back around behind the tree and sighed, he would have to decide something fast, before night set in.

After a few more minutes he looked around the tree once again, and seeing none of the morphs in his line of sight decided to take a chance and break for the gates. Hopefully they would open them, no questions asked, and let him in. After a final visual sweep he steeled himself and dashed from his position, running from tree to tree as he bolted for the gates. As soon as he was beginning to find it odd he had been unchallenged so far a figure fell from the trees, landing with a thud behind him. Without looking behind him he pushed his burning muscles to make him go faster, hoping he wouldn't feel the morph clawing at his cloak, or worse, a blade being sunk into his back.

Soon after that two more figures dropped from the trees, also landing behind him as he ran.

"_Great, I managed to get all three of them on me and I'm not even out of the woods yet!"_

Matthew let out a yell as his legs gave out and he fell forward, rolling to the side as he struggled to stand. He reached for his knives as he felt a hand grab the back of his cloak and haul him to his feet, almost panicking when he found they were missing.

"Relax."

Matthew jumped as he felt a pair of blades placed in his hands. He spun around and found himself staring into Jaffar's stony gaze.

"What's going on?" he asked, sheathing his blades.

"I didn't want you stabbing me, so I took those," Jaffar answered.

"I meant what are you doing out here," Matthew asked, his eyes darting back and forth from tree to tree as he looked for the morphs.

"I've been living out here, and they're gone. I took care of them," Jaffar replied.

"_Living_ out here? Why?" Matthew said, relaxing a bit now that he no longer had to worry about his morph problem.

"Eliwood told me to," Jaffar said flatly.

"I mean for what reason," Matthew asked again.

"We knew there were morphs around, I was the best suited to keep them from living in the forest. You make good bait," Jaffar answered, eliciting an odd look from Matthew.

"Uh, thanks, I guess," he said.

Jaffar turned and motioned for Matthew to follow, "Come. You should get back to the castle. Eliwood will want to hear what you have to say."

Matthew said nothing and followed Jaffar out from the tree line and towards the town gates. After a few minutes of silence it began to grow awkward between the two spies.

"So…"Matthew said, "…how is Nino?"

"Fine," Jaffar answered, walking on in silence.

"Good," he continued, almost abashed at breaking the silence, "No complications then?"

"None. She hasn't been feeling well in the mornings though. Priscilla said it was to be expected," Jaffar replied, this time giving Matthew the relief of a complete sentence.

"Have you picked a name?" he asked, forging on into the increasingly awkward conversation.

"Leila. We decided that long ago," Jaffar answered, continuing to walk as Matthew came to a halt.

Matthew stared for a moment and began to laugh as he watched Jaffar walk away. The man was a mystery to most, and Matthew knew Jaffar would do anything for him, even die. But that wasn't what Matthew needed from him, although at one time it had been all he wanted. No, in the end he had come to respect and understand Jaffar, but he never really knew what he needed from him, what he needed for the pain to subside...apparently Jaffar did.

Matthew wiped a single tear from the corner of his eye as he followed after Jaffar. He never cried, but his eyes often watered when he laughed too hard, and he found he'd been laughing a lot since Leila's death.

"It's good to see you again, Jaffar," he said, catching up with the man.

"Likewise," Jaffar replied, ushering him through the gates as they walked into the safety of the town's walls.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eliwood sighed deeply as he took a moment to sit; everything had calmed down, if only for the moment. It looked like Rath would recover, Jaffar was on morph duty, and the only thing he was left to ponder was Ephidel. The rogue morph, back from the dead. To be honest, he hadn't been sure what to think when Jaffar had reported that morning four days previous. The idea of Ephidel being alive had been almost inconceivable, but Jaffar had assured him it was most definitely their old enemy. Now he had to figure out what to do about it.

Eliwood looked up as the door opened and Jaffar came in, followed by Matthew.

"Matthew? What are you doing here?" he said, getting up from the throne and making his way over to the spies.

"I have urgent news from Castel Ostia. It would be best if Lord Hector were here for it," he said.

"Of course," Eliwood said, nodding towards Jaffar, who immediately left the room.

A few minutes later he returned, with Hector, Lyn, Ike, and Soren in tow.

"Lord Hector, Lady Lyn, "he said, giving a brief bow, ignoring the new faces.

"This better be good news, or very, very bad," Hector said, already knowing which it was.

"It's the second one," Matthew said, "absolutely terrible in fact."

"Well?" Lyn said, concern spreading over her features.

"I found someone snooping through your room," Matthew said, leaving it at that.

After a moment of stunned silence Hector made a grab for Matthew, "That's it!"

Matthew calmly sidestepped and watched Hector trip on the stairs leading up to the throne as he continued, "It was a morph."

The room was once again stifled in silence. After a moment Hector slammed his fist on the table they had moved into the throne room for group meetings, "They're in Ostia too? And in the castle no less?"

"My apologies, I doubt any of us were expecting them. However, I've got worse news," Matthew continued.

Hector's eyes rolled up towards the ceiling, "Excellent, let's hear it."

"They have people in Bern," he said.

"Are you sure," Eliwood replied, not allowing for another silence.

"Or course, and by 'in Bern' I mean close to the castle, at least in the lower guard ranks," Matthew answered.

Hector cursed and slammed the table again.

"I'm assuming this is bad," Ike said, looking down at Soren.

The mage nodded, "Yes it is. I took the past few days to look through the history of Elibe. For the time being, you can think of Bern as Begnion with the border control of Goldoa."

Ike nodded, "Then yeah…that's not good. Is there anything we can do about it?"

Eliwood crossed his arms and looked at the window out of the corner of his eye, "For now, nothing. However, Harken and Isabella are currently in Bern. No one else knows this of course, but when they return hopefully they will be able to confirm Matthew's news. I hate to ask Matthew, but your source is credible?"

"My sources are always credible," Matthew said, a mischievous smile at his lips, "but I understand where you're coming from. Yes, it's credible. Or at least it was…"

"What was that?" Hector asked.

"Nothing," Matthew said brightly, "Just talking to myself. Actually, do you have any spare rooms? I'm running off of no sleep and would very much like to collapse here and now."

"No need," Eliwood said with a laugh, "you can have Priscilla's room for the time. I'm sure she won't mind, seeing as she is staying in Jaffar and Nino's room, for obvious reasons…"

Ike looked down at Soren once again as a ripple of laughter filled the room.

Soren shrugged, "Don't look at me, although I'll hazard a guess and say Nino's pregnant."

"Yes she is," Lyn said, overhearing Soren's comment, "Eight months actually; it doesn't get much more obvious."

"I suppose not," Ike said, following Soren out as the group dispersed for the moment.

"What do you think about all of this?" he asked, looking down at Soren as they headed off to the training grounds.

"I have yet to form an opinion," Soren replied, "but with our luck they'll stick me in the library with a few maps of Elibe, promote you to general, and we'll save the day, again."

Ike grimaced, "That's not funny Soren."

"_I_ thought so," the mage replied, his face void of the slightest hint of a smile.

Ike sighed and followed his friend out and down the stairs that led to the side of the castle, Soren was, and always would be, perfectly insufferable.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eliwood groaned as he sat back down on the throne, Matthew's arrival had piled even more on his unsightly mountain of things to do. Now he not only had to worry about morphs in Pherae, but he had to figure out what they were doing in Bern as well. If only the blasted country wasn't so hard to get into. He sighed and stood, he wouldn't get anything done by sitting around.

"Jaffar, you can return to the castle tonight," he said, as usual to what seemed to be an empty room, "but please perform perimeter checks every three hours. I know we have guards posted, but you know how morphs are."

Eliwood smiled slightly as he felt Jaffar's presence leave the room, a skill that had taken months to develop. At first it had been odd, speaking to the shadows when he wanted something done. He'd often repeated himself in the beginning, unsure of whether or not Jaffar had heard him, which would cause the man to appear from some obscure corner of the room and assure Eliwood he had indeed heard. Now, however, he was quite glad to have Jaffar working with him, he'd proven himself time and time again. The only mystery that continued to elude Eliwood was how the man found time to sleep.

"Eliwood, don't you think you should give him a break tonight?"

Eliwood turned and found Ninian in the door, leaning upon the frame as she smiled at him.

"I would," he agreed, "but he'll do perimeter checks every hour by himself. This way he at least has to follow my order and get three hours sleep in between runs."

Ninian sighed, "True. I actually came to talk to you about something else…"

"What?" Eliwood asked, not quite sure how to respond to Ninian's amused expression.

"It's Soren...and Ike. I think it would be best for you to dig into their pasts a bit more," she said.

"I've actually been meaning to ask them a bit more about Tellius, but I didn't want to pry," he replied.

"I don't think they'll mind," Ninian said, "or at least, Ike won't. But as we now know, where Ike goes Soren follows, so if you unravel one of their pasts you should get the other's, or at least most of it."

Eliwood nodded and the two left the room, he'd learned to trust Ninian's feelings over the years, even the ones that had nothing to do with impending doom and the like.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ike leaned on Ragnell as the four men around him dropped to their knees, gasping for air as he looked around.

"Are you ready to stop?" he asked.

"Yes! For Elimine's sake, I was ready to stop ten minutes ago!" one of them gasped, propping himself up on his lance as he got to his feet.

"Well you did come to me," Ike said, hoping this would deter the others from seeking out a match with him. He really didn't like spars unless there was something to be gained from them, and it was apparent nothing had been gained here.

"And we never will again!" another said, helping a third to his feet.

Ike shook his head as the four headed off for other areas of the training grounds, hopefully they would leave him alone for now. As he turned to go he found Eliwood and Ninian watching him as they stood side by side.

"Eliwood, Ninian, do you need something?" he asked, walking over to where they stood.

Eliwood smiled, "I was just wondering if I could speak with you about Tellius. You've learned quite a bit about Elibe, but we know nothing of your home."

Ike shrugged, "Ah, I guess so."

He looked over at Soren, who looked up from his scroll for a split second to give his approval. Ike followed the two into the castle and into the same room they'd met in when Soren had run away the first night in the castle.

"What did you want to know?" Ike asked, taking a seat.

"Nothing specifically, just what Tellius is like," Eliwood answered, "For instance, we have St. Elimine, among others, who are revered across Elibe. Does Tellius have any such figures?"

Ike nodded slightly, "We have an apostle. She is said to be the voice of the goddess, hearing what she says and telling her people."

"That's interesting; we have no goddess here," Eliwood said, "which is odd. I would have thought a goddess would have created all lands, not just yours."

"Well…her divinity recently came into question in Tellius…" Ike said, knowing where the conversation would lead.

"Really? How does one contest the divinity of a goddess?" Ninian asked.

"By releasing a second one," Ike said, "and striking the first down from her pedestal."

Eliwood raised an eyebrow, was this what Ninian had been referring to?

"The people of Tellius defeated a goddess?" he said.

"…yeah. Long story short, Ashera was bent upon destroying Tellius to prevent us from fighting among ourselves any longer. Through numerous events we released a second one from her confines. With her help we proceeded to strike down Ashera. In the end, they both left, deciding that Tellius needed no one to rule over it. We're not sure if they'll ever return."

Eliwood was silent for a moment before speaking, "You say struck down…you didn't kill her?"

"I don't think so, when the final blow was struck she just disappeared. Tend to do that," Ike replied.

"Wait, you yourself were the one to defeat her?" Eliwood questioned.

"No…I could do nothing alone. There was an entire army of survivors," Ike answered.

Eliwood nodded, "Yes, yes, but were you the one to finish it?"

"Like I said, I had help. Lots of help," Ike said, looking from one to the other.

"Then you would know; was this goddess of yours really a goddess at all? I mean, many of our figures here in Elibe have nearly attained deity status themselves," Eliwood said.

Ike nodded, "Yes, it's the best word for her. We've come to simply view her as a being more powerful than we could ever become, with the same potential for mistakes and flaws we humans have."

"Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen," Ninian commented.

"You have no idea."

The group turned to find Soren in the door.

"Eliwood," he said calmly, "we have a problem in the throne room. You should come now."

"What's wrong?" Eliwood asked, following Soren out and down the hall.

"Both of the guards at the door are dead, they were found just inside the throne room doors, however," he said.

"Do you have any idea who did it?" Eliwood asked.

Soren nodded, "Morphs, of course."

"In the castle?" Eliwood said urgently, running ahead of the mage.

Soren didn't answer the rhetorical question and continued down the hallway. When they reached the throne room an odd sight met their eyes. There were now twenty guards, all just outside the throne room door, all peering in at a perfect semi-circle of bodies that lay in front of the throne.

"What's going on?" Eliwood asked, looking around at the bewildered guards.

"We found two of the guards like that," one of them answered, gesturing towards the inert group, "and then eight more rushed in, but he took them down before they even got close to the throne."

Eliwood looked up towards the throne. A dark figure sat there, hood up with its head down, feet stretched out in front of it.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Eliwood asked, walking into the room, despite the cries of his guards. He came to a halt, just outside the boundary created by the fallen soldiers.

"Oh, you can come closer, Lord Eliwood. I only struck them down for having the impudence to challenge me without asking me what you just did."

Eliwood's eyebrow twitched at the voice. It sounded female, and familiar.

"What do you want?" Eliwood repeated, taking a single step over the human barrier.

The morph lifted its head and allowed the hood to fall away, "I simply wanted to give you a message, Lord Eliwood."

Eliwood didn't move as he found himself staring into the golden gaze of Limstella.

"What is the message," Eliwood asked flatly, "and how are you here? I killed you myself."

"That is not for you to know. The message is that unless you cease your efforts here, there will be death…like that which hasn't been known since the Scouring," the morph answered.

With that a feint glow came from Limstella's body, and she disappeared.

"It's begun again…" Ninian said.

"Yes…but what I want to know is why _she_ is here. I can understand Ephidel, but her…" Eliwood said, continuing to look up at the now empty throne as he spoke.

**While Ephidel may have had the better motive, in my opinion, that doesn't mean I forgot about Limstella. And yes, I know she most definitely died in FE7, so keep your shirt on. Another area to address is Nino...she was fourteen in the game if memory serves, making her seventeen here. And while seventeen is still very young, this is a rather medieval setting, so I would imagine they marry younger in FE games. So, hopefully Nino's pregnancy isn't as creepy as the sane half of my brain is telling me. That's about it for this chapter, review if you feel like it, otherwise I'll talk to you next update.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well it's a little late to be read by some of you, but here's the update, and on Wednesday no less. Let's see how long I can keep this up. Thanks for all the reviews last chapter, I wasn't quite so sure about that one, so it was nice to know you liked it for the most part. Anyway, here's chapter eight.**

"I see nothing here, we're wasting time."

"That doesn't matter, we need to look everywhere, we have no idea where to begin our search so we can't leave anything untouched," the man said, turning to his companion, "and what are you doing? Put your hood back on immediately, someone will see you."

The first waved him off, "I care not. If anyone here doesn't like what they see, I'll make sure they have very little time to express their disdain."

"That's not the point, we have to…"the second replied, trailing off as he turned to look down the road, "I think they're coming back. Let's hope they've found something."

"Yes, let's. I'm tired of sitting around doing nothing."

"Aren't we all…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"It's possible."

Eliwood stared at Soren for a moment before speaking, "It is? You're sure?"

Soren tapped the book on the table in front of him, "Yes. From what it says in here, and from what you've told me, it's more than possible; it's likely."

Eliwood sighed and began to pace. It had been a week since Limstella's appearance in the castle. After that, Eliwood had called off the morph search for the time being until they could decide how to react to her message. Not that they even entertained the notion of compliance, they simply had no idea what they were up against. Oddly enough however, no morphs had been seen in past week, leaving Eliwood to assume they had disappeared for the time being as they worked on who knew what. With that momentary peace Eliwood had sent Fiora to the Nabata Desert in search of Pent and Louise. It had taken her four days to find them and then two more to fly nonstop back to Pherae, but she found what he had wanted, a book from the lost Arcadia. Upon arriving in Pherae she had given it to Soren, who had disappeared into his chambers for a full day. And now here he was, listening to what was the only halfway decent explanation to all of this.

"You're sure?" Eliwood said.

Soren twitched, "You haven't known me long, but you'll soon learn I find it irksome when people doubt me. Yes, I am sure. From what it says here, it is more than possible to use the quintessence of others to form a completely different being. The only prerequisite is that the creator must have known the person they wish to create very well."

"And why is that?" Eliwood asked. He could guess at the answer, but he wanted to hear it.

"Because, using the quintessence of a being to form that exact same thing is easy. All the necessary qualities are already in place. However, using something's quintessence to form something completely different is very hard because it needs to be molded to that creation's specifications," Soren answered.

Eliwood nodded, "So as long as Ephidel knew what he was doing, he very well could have created a new Limstella."

"Yes," Soren agreed, "That is the most likely answer to her existence, considering what you've told me about her demise."

"Well," Eliwood said, "thank you for helping me sort that out Soren."

Soren nodded slightly, "Of course."

At that he turned and left the room, giving Eliwood some much needed time to process what he'd just been told. After a moment the door opened and Lyn stepped in.

"Eliwood, Hector and I are going into town with Ninian, do you want to come?" she asked.

"What?" he asked, looking up as his train of thought abruptly derailed.

Lyn laughed, "I said you're coming into town with us, you need a break."

"No you didn't, you asked-"

"So you did hear me," Lyn interrupted, "and you _are_ coming with us, everyone needs to take a break at one point or another."

Eliwood shook his head as Lyn grabbed his hand and pulled him off the throne, "No, who will watch the castle? And I have to-"

"Jaffar and Matthew can handle running the castle by themselves for the afternoon, now let's go," Lyn said.

Eliwood frantically stammered through several excuses before composing himself, "You know, you're right. Let's go."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eliwood smiled as he walked through the streets of Pherae's castle town, his arm entwined in Ninian's, he hadn't done this in quite a while. The indiscernible sound of a thousand voices mingling, the children running back and forth in the streets, it was all actually quite relaxing.

"Is that…Ike?" Hector said, coming to a halt.

"Where?" Lyn asked, looking around for the tall, blue haired man.

"Over there. He's standing in front of that vendor," Hector answered, pointing to a building off to their right.

"Oh…you're right, that is him," Lyn said, "What do you think he's doing?"

"More like what is Soren doing," Eliwood said, "Ike's blocking him from your view."

Hector and Lyn moved to their left and saw that Soren was standing in front of Ike, looking at something that lay on the vendor's counter.

"Let's go see what they're doing," Ninian said, heading off in their direction.

"Ike, what's going on?" Hector asked, stopping next to him.

"What? Oh, hey, we were just…exploring, I suppose, and Soren caught sight of this. He's been here for the last fifteen minutes examining it," Ike answered, "the owner hasn't returned yet and the man watching the counter isn't doing business until he gets back."

"Which is ridiculous, I might add," Soren said, not taking his eyes off the tome in front of them, "considering we have the gold right here."

"Hey," the man behind the counter barked, "I already told you no business until the owner returns."

"And I told you that's the most foolish thing I've ever heard, just sell me the tome and we'll be on our way," Soren replied.

"And it's been like that the entire time we've been here," Ike said ruefully.

"What is it Soren?" Ninian asked, looking over his shoulder at the tome.

"It's a Fimbulvetr. We don't have them back in Tellius and I'd really like to have a closer look at it," Soren answered.

Hector laughed, "Wow, you really pick out the good ones. Those are rare, nice find."

"Thank you," Soren said, his eyes flashing as he looked at the man behind the counter, "Now if this idiot would just sell it to me, we could get this over and done with."

The man didn't answer, but glared right back.

"Yeah," Hector said, his countenance becoming grave, "these tomes are _really_ rare. We only have two in our royal armory. Where'd you get this, eh?"

The man's face paled as he looked up at Hector, "Found it."

"I'm sure you did. And I'm sure someone conveniently 'lost' it. Why don't you let my friend here 'find' it for himself, and pay you for it no less," Hector said, the counter groaning as he leaned on it.

The man laughed nervously, "You know, I guess he won't mind so much if I sell something just this once."

"Excellent," Soren said, dropping a bag of gold pieces onto the counter and sweeping the tome off the counter and into his robes.

"Thank you, Hector," Soren said.

"No problem," Hector said, pulling Soren into a head lock as he tousled the mage's ebony hair, "let me know if you need anything else."

"Let go of me," Soren replied, standing completely still, "for starters."

"Oh come on, where's your sense of fun," Hector said, ruffling his hair one more time before letting him go.

Soren said nothing as the group continued down the street, he was going to have to get used to Hector.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Aghh! Come on! This is the fifth little town we've visited! Let's find a large city!" the man said, throwing his head back in exasperation, allowing his hood to fall off.

"Calm down, there's a city coming up, try to show some patience," a woman next to him replied, "and put your hood back on!"

"It is uncomfortable," the man said, making no move to replace the light brown hood over his head.

"Let me remind you," the woman hissed, "that for the time being you do not have jurisdiction over this group."

The man stared at her for a moment.

The woman sighed, "Meaning you don't have control here, and we won't tolerate misbehavior."

"I am no child," the man said, shrugging his hood back into place.

"Then don't act like one! You know we can't get caught, we know nothing about the people here," she answered, "Besides, it won't be much longer, here they come."

The two looked up to watch as three figures made their way down the road towards them, two women and a taller man with white hair in between them.

"Find anything?" the woman asked.

"Yes," the white haired man said with a smile, "they passed through here on their way to that Pherae castle town we keep hearing so much about."

"Then let us be off to Pherae castle town," the first man said, heading off down the road.

The second man sighed and followed the first, "Has he been like that the whole time?"

"Of course," the woman answered, "does he ever act any way else?"

"No, I suppose he doesn't," he answered, "Hopefully he'll calm down when we find them."

"Hopefully…" she replied, trailing off before continuing, "But he won't."

The man laughed and continued to walk, it was true.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The group watched in silent amazement as Soren continued in his examination of the Fimbulvetr tome. They had stopped for lunch and Soren had promptly sat down and begun to look through the arcane volume. Five minutes later, he'd stood up and cast the spell, freezing the tree trunk they had been sitting next to.

"That's amazing," Hector said, "It took Erk an entire day to master that spell the first time he used it. You're sure they don't have those in Tellius?"

"They do not," Soren said, tucking the tome back into his sleeve.

"Well then maybe you should talk to Pent…I'm sure he'd love to meet you," Hector continued.

"Perhaps, but-"

Soren was interrupted as a man came around the bend in the road and stopped abruptly, looking up at them.

"Are you mercenaries?" he asked, his breath coming in sporadic bursts.

In a heartbeat Ike was on his feet, Ragnell on his shoulder, "Yes."

"Oh good," the man said, "my town is being pillaged by bandits, I thought I might not be able to find anyone, I'm so glad I found you!"

At that he turned around and ran back down the road, Ike following with Soren close behind.

"Well…"Lyn said, looking over at the other three.

"What are we waiting for, let's go!" Hector bellowed, grabbing his axe and tearing off after Ike and Soren, not waiting for the other three to catch up.

After twenty minutes of hard running they reached the village. It was small, with a narrow wall running around its borders. When they arrived they found the gates had been barricaded, and the small thatch houses were in flames with bandits running around amidst the chaos, burying their axes in anything that moved.

"Soren!" Ike yelled, leveling Ragnell as they ran.

Soren nodded, leaping atop the flat of the blade and Ike gave a grunt as he hurled the mage into the air. Soren landed atop the tall barricade and pulled out a bolganone, summoning the explosive spell underneath the wooden planks that impeded their progress. As the ground beneath the barricade exploded the others made their way through and into the madness as Soren ran swiftly along the length of the village's walls, casting spells as he went.

After a few moments, the maddened laughter of the bandits changed to cries of confusion as what they assumed to be some of the villagers began to fight back, cutting them down without hesitation.

"Rally to me," one of them shouted, "we'll finish them and show them why we're bandits to fear!"

"Of course you are…" Soren muttered softly, taking out an Arcwind and separating the bandits as they tried to form some sort of ranks.

In a few more minutes it was all over, with Hector desperately pulling on his axe that had embedded itself too deep in a man's chest.

"Let go of it," he grunted as he heaved, placing a foot squarely on the man's torso as he pulled, "Gonna give me a hard time even in death, is that it?"

With a loud crack he pulled it free and proceeded to wipe it clean, "Well, that's that."

"Yes, I suppose it is…" Soren said, pausing as he caught sight of Ike. The pile of dead bodies behind his commander was shifting oddly.

"Ike!" he shouted, throwing himself into his friend as a bandit emerged from the corpses and made a grab for Ike.

Instead he grabbed a hold of Soren as the mage careened into Ike, pushing him out of the way. The man looked slightly disappointed that he'd missed his intended target before pulling a dagger from his belt and placing it on Soren's neck, "Not the one I wanted, but it'll work. Listen, I'm going to walk out of this town, and if you try to stop me he's going to die."

Ike made a move for the man, but stopped as the dagger's tip pricked Soren's neck, causing a crimson rivulet to trickle down his neck. Soren shook his head as he eyed Ike, "Don't bother."

The bandit's grin widened, "That's it, now come on, we're leaving."

No one moved as the man slowly backed out the village's back entrance and headed for the trees. Ike's temper flared, it was maddening how one man could keep them all in check.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The white haired man sighed deeply, "Ah, there's the village, we should be close to the castle town."

The other members of the group looked up; it was about time they reached their destination.

"Finally, perhaps now we can sort this out," the other said, drawing murmured agreements from the others.

"Look, there's someone coming out of the gates," one of the women said, pausing to get a better look as she pushed her purple hair from here line of sight.

"Where? Oh, I see him!" said another, beginning to wave at the figure that was slowly backing out of the gates.

"Hopefully he can-"

The man stopped talking, tearing off his cloak and throwing it to the ground, staring at the figure in the distance.

Another woman dropped her hood, her purple gaze piercing the distance between them and the man at the gate as if it were nothing, "I see it."

"That man…he has the little tactician!"

At that the man was off, leaving his companions behind as he bolted for the gates, his movements strangely quiet for such a large man.

"Skrimir!"

"Leave him be Lethe, he's lost for the time being," the white haired man said, shaking his head.

"I know that Nasir!" she snapped, "but I'm supposed to control him! He's going to get Soren killed!"

"What? What's wrong with Soren?" the girl asked, looking up at the others.

"Look, that man's holding a knife to his throat," another said, pointing in the distance, "Come on let's go, there might be more. Mist, stay here."

"No, Ike might need me," she said, heading for the gate.

"No, you're staying here. Besides, boss put me in charge…next to Titania of course," the woman said, pushing her white head band farther up as she drew her sword.

"Mia! That was back in Tellius, Nasir already said he doubts we're still in Tellius!" she protested.

"It doesn't matter, you stay here. Besides, we can't have you getting hurt, we might need you later," Mia said.

"…fine," Mist said dejectedly, "I'll wait for five minutes, then I'm coming whether you like it or not."

Mia grinned, "That's all I'll need!"

With that she was off, running down the road with Lethe at her side, leaving Mist and Nasir behind.

Mist looked up at Nasir, his white hair blowing in the wind, "Why aren't you going?"

Nasir smiled, "I can't risk shifting where people can see me, more so than those two, and I'm less than helpful fighting like this."

Mist sighed, "I know how you feel."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ike's mind raced as he tried to decide what to do before the man disappeared into the trees. Suddenly, his gaze was distracted from his friend by a man, running towards them, his bushy red hair a dead giveaway.

"Oh no…" he muttered, measuring his reaction carefully, he couldn't let the bandit realize he had spotted someone behind him.

"Who is that?" Hector whispered as he sidled up next to Ike.

"You know what; I'll tell you later," Ike said, lowering Ragnell's tip as he watched, hoping it would distract the bandit. It did.

"That's right, accept it, I'll make sure he doesn't feel a thing," the man said, his already impossibly wide grin growing larger.

Ike raised his eyebrows and said nothing; Skrimir was almost on top of the man, his body glowing as he leapt off of a small knoll. Ike couldn't help but smile as the laguz shifted, it always amazed him. He was just glad no one in the village was bothering to look outside and see what was happening. Eliwood and the others, however, were having a hard time keeping their mouths shut.

"Hey, what are you smiling abou-"

The bandit stopped as a Skrimir dropped on top of him, tearing the arm off that held the dagger to Soren's neck and pinning him to the ground. His eyes widened and he began to scream as he stared into the face of the lion. With a swipe of his paw, Skrimir buffeted the man's head; a loud crack resonated through the area as the bandits neck bent at an odd angle. After that Ike really didn't know what to say. Skrimir dragged the body off into the woods and returned a few minutes later, shifted back into his human form.

"Ike," he said loudly, "You were very hard to find, it looks like I arrived just in time though."

"_We _arrived just in time," Lethe said, emerging from the trees as she shifted back.

Ike nodded, "Ah, yeah, thanks. I'm kind of confused though. How did you get here?"

"We came through the magic circle," he said, picking Soren up from where he sat on the ground, staring at Skrimir with a look of relief and horror.

"Came through the Scouring circle did you," Soren said, pulling his arm away from Skrimir and brushing it off, "Then where is he?"

"Who?" Skrimir asked, thoroughly confused.

"You're obviously not a dragon, so who came through with you? Or did they just open it and send you on your way?" Soren said, clarifying the question.

"No," said a voice, "I came along to. Kurthnaga thought it best if I did."

They looked up as Nasir too emerged from the foliage, shortly followed by Mist.

"Ike!" Mist shouted, running over to her brother.

Ike's smile quickly disappeared as he saw the look of anger on her face, and he barely dodged the crystal ball on the end of her staff as she swung at him haphazardly.

"Whoa! What's this all about?" he said, holding out his hand to catch her staff.

"It's about you disappearing without a word and never coming back," Mist said, struggling against her brother for a moment before giving up and settling for a kick in shins.

"Are you done?" Ike asked, looking down at her.

"…yes," she said, pulling him into a hug.

"Good. Now someone please tell me, what are you all doing here?" he said, looking around at the familiar faces.

"You've been gone for a while now," Nasir said, "and Titania was a bit concerned. She got an audience with Kurthnaga and he too agreed that perhaps it was time to look for you. So we did, they still are back on Tellius. It's nothing major; we knew you were fine, we just wanted to see what was holding you up. Eventually we found that Scouring circle, and while finding you by going through it was less than likely, we decided we might as well try. As you know, Kurthaga's very liberal compared to his father and was all for trying to use it. Of course, there were a few stipulations…"

The group turned to look at Skrimir.

"What?" he said, "The gate was in my kingdom, I have the right to know what's going on in my own land."

"And thus, going against all the advice he was given, Skrimir came along," Lethe said.

"I'm surprised you left Gallia," Ike said.

Skrimir waved the remark away, "Ranulf is in charge, it will be fine. Besides, I couldn't rest until I knew the little tactician was safe."

Soren gave him a look, "Thank you, but in the future I advise against acting so flippantly."

"So that's it," Nasir said, "we decided to check it out and ended up here, after Titania decided to send Mist and Mia with us."

Ike frowned, "Mia?"

"Yes," Nasir said, looking around, "she was with us just a moment ago."

"Oh…" Ike said, slowly looking over his shoulder at the woods to his back.

He quickly dropped to the ground as an orange blur shot from the bushes, and was surprised to feel the sting of sharpened steel on his forearm. Mia had gotten faster. He rolled to his feet without a word and leveled his sword as she came in for another strike. With a flip of his wrist he turned her sword away and lunged forward, causing her to back off.

She smiled, gesturing to his arm, "I win boss, first blood."

Ike shook his head, "Nonsense, I've gotten hurt worse than this helping Oscar cook dinner."

Without a word Mia hurled herself at him, her blade seeking his unarmored sword arm. Ike quickly turned and met her sword with his armored side, leaving him free to strike. He smiled as he took the opportunity, she was using a silver sword, and if it was the same one he'd given her before leaving the company then this would be over quick.

As Ragnell came down Mia's sword snapped in two, and Ike quickly followed with a blow to the chin. As Mia careened back into a tree he stuck Ragnell into the earth and crossed his arms, his cape billowing in the wind behind him. That had felt good.

Mai sat up and shook her head she got to her feet.

"You still got it boss," she said, gingerly touching her bleeding chin while waving Mist over.

Eliwood and the others stared as Mist casually healed Mia and the swordswoman grinned, "That was fun, but one of these days I'm gonna get you."

"As long as you're willing to fight I'll be willing to beat you down," Ike said, "So, I'm assuming you'll want a duel at dawn tomorrow?"

"Of course," Mia said, "but for now, how about you tell us what's going on? We've all been dying to know."

"Sure," Ike said, looking over at Eliwood, "We should probably go back to the castle though, right?"

"Yes," Eliwood said slowly, "We have been gone for a bit too long. Perhaps on the way you can introduce us to your friends?"

Ike nodded as they group headed back towards the castle, "Yeah sure, but first, what did you do with Alondite Mia?"

Mia snorted, "Pshh, like I need that to take you down. Actually, I gave it to Zihark before we left."

Ike sighed then laughed; of course she would refuse to fight him with it. It was a very 'Mia' thing to do. Either way, it was good to have his friends back, and he had a feeling that the coming months would leave them in need of all the help they could get.

**And then there were seven. Characters from Tellius, that is. Before you string me up and beat me with a stick until candy comes out, I wish to point out that Ike's ending said it was the last time they seen in _Tellius_, thus making this whole situation canon, or hypothetically canon I suppose. Anyway, I hope you like the characters I brought in, and for those of you who caught Ike's Brawl taunt, kudos, I couldn't help throwing that in there. This chapter was rather long, so I hope it held your attention the whole way through, and I _really_ hope the scenes with the Tellius gang weren't too confusing before I revealed who they were. As usual, if there was anything you especially liked or didn't like, go ahead drop me a review. Thanks, until next update.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	9. Chapter 9

**I have no excuse, the reason for this update's tardiness is simply me being a lazy bum. Hopefully this chapter will be good enough to make up for it, here's number nine people. Before you start though, I have to say that my computer suddenly started letting certain words through, and then decided to act up again, so if there are any missing I apologize, I believe I caught them all though.**

Ike sighed and shifted the weight on his shoulder as he ran from tree to tree. He'd made the mistake of knocking Mia out during their duel at dawn, and now he was stuck with carrying her. Still, she wasn't nearly as heavy as Gatrie. Ike stopped for a moment as he thought about a job where he'd ended up carrying the knight all the way back to their base, it had taken him all day. When he'd finally gotten back Mist told him Gatrie told _her_ he'd been awake for the last five hours of the trip.

He shrugged Mia back up onto his shoulder and kept going; definitely not as heavy as Gatrie, and she put up a better fight too.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Mist blinked as she jerked into a semi-awakened state, her head lifting from her folded arms as she looked out window she'd fallen asleep in front of.

"This is so boring," she said, watching as the hailstones beat relentlessly upon the stone ramparts that surrounded the castle.

"It hails back in Tellius too," Soren said, not looking up from the book he was only half reading.

"Yes, but it's our first day here, I was hoping we'd be able to _do_ something," she replied, looking over at the stoic mage, "And why did Ike have to leave the castle? It would have been interesting to watch his duel with Mia."

He gave her a quick glance before returning his eyes to the words on the page in front of him, "You know they like to duel without others watching."

Mist's eyes narrowed, "True, but I wonder why. What do you think they're doing out there, alone?"

"Exactly what they said they'd be doing; beating each other senseless with long, heavy pieces of sharpened metal. If you're bored go find Priscilla."

"Who's that?" Mist asked, her eyebrows arching.

"One of the healers here in the castle, you'll find her in the west tower, second room from the top," he answered.

Mist smiled and sat up further, "Oh really…you answered pretty fast, how did you know where'd she'd be? Do you like her? Have you-"

Soren held up a hand to silence her nonstop talking, "No I do not. Everyone knows where she is because that where she's been for the entirety of the time we've been here."

"Really? She never leaves?" Mist asked.

"Occasionally. Pregnant women require constant attention though, or so I've been told, so she doesn't leave much," Soren answered.

Without another word Mist was off her chair and out the door, running down the hall towards the west tower. Soren glanced up for a moment, one of his rare smiles appearing on his soft features. He should have thought of that earlier. He rose slowly, setting his book on a nearby table as he walked to the window. His roving eye stopped as he spied Ike, running through the barrage of ice falling from the sky as he headed towards the castle. He was about to return to his seat when he did a double take. Was that Mia over his shoulder? He shook his head and went back to his book. He was glad to be a mage.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Kent's smile disappeared as his hand went to the lance at his side, "Look."

Sain looked over his shoulder as he brushed his horse and peered through the gloom, watching as Ike ran towards the castle. He was carrying the woman he'd introduced them to yesterday over his shoulder.

"Lucky rogue," he said, turning completely around, "always playing the part of the hero."

Kent sighed, "That's not what I meant. Do you think we should help?"

Sain's face lit up, "Why Kent, that's the best thing to come out of your mouth all day."

At that he dropped his brush and was off, spouting his usual nonsense of heroes and villains.

"Ike," he said, coming a stop next to the man, "what happened to Mia? Were the two of you assailed by some filthy brigands during your duel?"

"Ah, no," Ike said, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the knight, "This is my fault. I hit her a little too hard."

"You…hit her?" Sain said, trying to decide why any man would hit a woman.

"Yes. You said it yourself, we were having a duel," he replied.

"And you didn't let her win?" Sain asked incredulously.

Ike stuck Ragnell into the ground and rolled up the sleeve on the arm that held Mia in place; a thin scar ran along his bicep.

"See that? She did that to me when I let her win the first time. Of course, she didn't find out I let her win until a few days after the duel, but that only made it worse. Letting Mia win is the last thing you want to do," he said, pulling his sleeve back down.

Sain's eyes were alight, "What a beauty, fighting against all odds until the bitter end, never backing down even against insurmountable obstacles. Are you two…"

Ike shook his head, "No. Even if I wanted to I doubt Mia would."

Sain sighed, "Such a shame, she's a goddess lost to war."

"Uh, yeah," Ike said, slipping away as the knight continued in his exaltation of the unconscious swordswoman.

He sighed as he finally reached the castle and entered, relieved to be free of the pelting hailstones. Now he just had to find Mist. He wandered through the halls for a while before running into Raven, Lucius trailing behind him.

"Raven," he said, "Have you seen my sister? Or yours for that matter?"

"Why?" he asked, drilling him with a stare.

Ike let the glare roll off as he answered, "Because, as you can see Mia here is unconscious, and I need someone to watch her, and maybe try to wake her up."

"I don't know where they are," he said, shouldering past Ike and continuing on. He stopped when he failed to hear the familiar pitter patter of Lucius' feet behind him.

"They are in the western tower," the acolyte said, looking up at Ike, "but they are rather busy with Nino. If you would like, I can watch her for you. I have some experience with staves, and I have a restore in my room."

"Really?" Ike replied, "That would be great. I have a meeting to go to and I didn't want to end up dragging her around all day. Thanks."

Lucius smiled, "Of course, I am happy to-"

He stopped as Ike handed Mia over and he found himself struggling to stand, his slight frame quivering as he tried not to drop her.

"Er…"Ike said, taking her back, "Maybe I'll carry her there for you."

"Thank you," Lucius said, "that would be appreciated."

When they reached his room Ike set her down on Lucius' bed and turned to go, "Thanks again, I'll be in the throne room if anyone needs me."

Lucius nodded and Ike left, leaving the two alone. As Ike walked down the hall, though, he couldn't help but think he'd forgotten to tell him something. He shrugged it off, it couldn't be that important.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hector's jaw was just about at floor level as Nasir finished his story.

"Are you serious?" he asked, looking over at Eliwood.

The dragon nodded, "Yes, that's exactly how it happened. Did Ike leave something out?"

"No," Eliwood said, "He was just more conservative about it. I had no idea he possessed such strength. He made it sound rather trivial."

Nasir laughed, "No, defeated a goddess is no small feat."

"True enough," Eliwood said, "So…you truly are a dragon?"

"Yes, and by the look on your face it would seem you aren't as surprised as most would be," he replied.

"He isn't surprised," Ninian said, "None of us are, here in the castle."

Nasir stared at her for a moment, standing half hidden behind Eliwood, not looking him in the eyes.

"You're…" Nasir said, taking a step closer and looking at her more closely, "You're a dragon."

"Yes," she said.

"But something's wrong," he continued, "What's happened to you?"

"Here on Elibe…I cannot change. I am stuck in this form," she replied.

"You are not from Elibe?" Nasir asked.

"Originally, yes, but my kind left millennia ago, and when I returned a few years ago everything had changed. I can no longer retain my dragon form," she said.

"But that's not all," Nasir said, "you…you're dying."

"Yes," she said, surprising them all with a smile, "but that was my choice."

Nasir was quiet as he looked at her smile, a genuine smile. Looking at the two, Eliwood and Ninian, he smiled back, "I see."

"What kind of dragon are you?" Ninian asked.

"Ice," he replied.

"Truly? Then you and I are the same. Can you show me? I've wanted to see one of my own," she said, her eyes now searching Nasir's face.

"Ah," Nasir said, "Not now, I'm scheduled to spar with Skrimir later this evening however. You may watch then."

Ninian nodded, "Of course. Besides…"

She turned towards the door expectantly, and a moment later Ike walked in.

"There you are," Nasir said, "Now we can get started."

Ike nodded and took a seat next to the dragon, "Where are Lethe and Skrimir?"

"Skrimir is busy at the moment, and Lethe is making sure he stays that way. We hardly need his half baked interjections whenever he hears something he doesn't like," Nasir answered, drawing a nod from Soren, who sat on Ike's right.

"Okay then, let's get down to business," Hector said, leaning forward as he looked around the table.

Eliwood, Ninian, Lyn, Soren, and Ike sat at the table.

"The single objective of this meeting," he continued, "Is to decide our next course of action."

The others nodded and Lyn spoke up, "We won't be backing off, obviously, but I think we need to be more discreet. The first issue, I think, is to find out where Ephidel is drawing his power from."

Ike held out a hand, causing her to stop, "What do you mean by that?"

"It takes massive amounts of quintessence to create morphs, and even more to create more powerful ones, such as Limstella. The stronger the person the more quintessence they give, and the opposite holds true," she said.

"And since we don't have reports of people dying in droves," Soren added, "I think it's safe to assume he is drawing the quintessence from powerful individuals."

Ike nodded, "That makes sense."

"The next thing to do would be to find out where Ephidel's base of operations is," Hector said.

"I'll do that."

They looked to the shadows as Matthew stepped out.

"Leila's final report was a detail of Ephidel, or at least it contained everything we knew about him at the time," he said, "I'll be the one to look for his base."

Eliwood looked over at Hector, who nodded, "All right. You leave in the morning. Report every six months, if it even takes you that long"

Matthew bowed slightly as disappeared back into the shadows.

"We'll take the first task," Ike said, raising his hand into the air.

"You being?" Eliwood asked.

"The group of us from Tellius. If we're lucky we may also find the location of the Scouring circle we came through so we can leave when this whole thing is over," he answered.

"You don't want more than seven people?" Eliwood asked.

Ike shook his head, "No, it would better to have a smaller group, and I know it will go more smoothly if it's just us, we work well together."

"That sounds good then," Eliwood said, looking over at Hector, "And I guess that just leaves us to defend our respective territories."

"That's fine by me, I've been itching to get back Ostia and see how Oswin handled the situation," he said.

"Good," Eliwood said, standing from his seated position, "Let's be sure to send periodical messages back and forth. You'll be off at first light."

The others nodded and stood, it was nice to finally be getting something done.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eliwood stood silently next to Ninian as she watched the scene below. The soldiers had been ordered away from the inner courtyard, and all access points had been closed. Nasir and Skrimir stood in the center, facing each other with Ike off to one side; Ragnell raised high above his head. He looked from one to the other and then let his sword fall, the tip gouging out a section of stonework on the courtyard floor.

True to form Skrimir wasted no time, shifting instantly and charging towards Nasir, who remained still, watching the red lion.

"How can he be so calm," Hector said, leaning over the railing to get a better view, "He's about to get run over!"

As the words came from Hector's mouth, Nasir leapt forward and then dropped onto his side, sliding under Skrimir as the lion made a lunge for him. As he passed under his stomach he shifted, throwing Skrimir into the air with a flip of his tail. As Skrimir fell back to the earth, Nasir flapped his wings, buffeting the lion with a gust of air as he desperately tried to land on his feet.

"He's huge," Lyn said, watching with a slight smile on her face, "But he moves so fast. It's almost unfair."

"Not really," Ninian said, absorbed in the fight going on below them, "I've seen dragon's twice his size…but he is fast."

They looked at her for a minute, trying to think of something twice as big as Nasir, and then looked down again. The fight seemed to be even until the two clashed in the middle, Skrimir's flanks bulged as he pushed against the dragon, whose claws dug into the stonework as the two struggled for a hold. Finally, Nasir moved back suddenly, causing Skrimir to fall forward into his outstretched hand. Nasir's arm quivered as he lifted the lion by the mane, dangling him in the air in front of him, watching as he began to glow. Skrimir's shift was halting, punctuated by roars of protest as he clawed at his captor, until eventually he was swinging hands instead of paws. He looked at Nasir and crossed his arms.

"I concede," he said.

Nasir set him down and shifted back, "You rely on your strength too much Skrimir, we talked about this."

"But what else am I to rely on? It works in Gallia just fine," he said, heading up the stairs that led to the where Eliwood and the others were watching.

"That because no one in Gallia is bigger than you, except for your uncle. You remember what happened the last time you fought him?" Nasir said.

"…yes," Skrimir answered, thinking back to his multiple defeats at the hands of Caineghis.

Nasir nodded, "Exactly. You two are about the same size, but he fights smarter, which I hardly did this time to see if _you_ would. You didn't."

"Bah, I have no time for this. I will simply become stronger," Skrimir said.

Nasir sighed, there was no dealing with him, "Fine, but we'll talk about this later."

The two entered the room and looked at their audience.

"Well?" Nasir said.

"Ninian thinks you're a small dragon," Mist said, looking at him blankly. She had grown bored in the west tower at some point in the late afternoon and come down to watch the evening spar.

Nasir blinked, he'd been called a lot of things, but never small.

"Ah, really. That's interesting," he said.

"I do not," Ninian said, "to be honest I told them I've seen dragon's twice your size, I did not say you were small. And your speed made up for any size issue, you actually remind me of my brother."

"Thank you Ninian," he said with a smile.

At that moment Ike entered, Lethe following him into the room.

"Where have you been Lethe?" Skrimir asked.

"Watching," she said.

"What did you think?" he asked.

"I'm not going to say," she said, turning to Mist.

Skrimir's eyebrows came together in a glare, "Yes you will, I order it as your king."

Lethe looked at him over her shoulder, "Do you? Fine, I thought you were terrible, I could have done better."

Skrimir began to bellow out an objection when Nasir cut him off, "You asked for it Skrimir, and now you have two people who say you need to change your tactics."

Skrimir frowned and remained silent, opting to take a step back and mull it over.

"Now," Nasir said, turning to Ike, "What is it?"

"I was just going to say we should probably turn in for the night. It's getting dark, and we start early tomorrow," he said, looking at his group of five; Soren had decided to stay in his room after the meeting.

One by one they nodded; early mornings following late nights were no fun.

"Nasir," Ike said, causing the dragon to turn around in the doorway, "Could you go get Mia? She should be in Lucius' room; hopefully she's awake by now."

"Of course," Nasir answered, "Skrimir, let's go. We can talk on the way."

Skrimir sighed and followed him out, "If we must."

Mist laughed, "Skrimir's so funny, he actually reminds me of you Ike."

Ike turned, "What?"

"When dad first started training you, you used to run straight at him, shouting at the top of your lungs. It was so funny to watch," she said.

"Well at least _I_ grew out of it," he said.

"True," she said, hopping off the table she had been sitting on and heading for the door, "See you tomorrow Ike."

"Yeah, night Mist," he said, turning to Lethe.

"Aren't you in Mist and Mia's room?" he asked.

"No, I'm next to Skrimir. He's got Nasir in his room and me on his side," she answered.

"Oh, that's near my room with Soren. Come on," he said, heading off down the hall, waving back towards Eliwood and the others, "See you tomorrow morning."

"So," he said, turning back around as Lethe caught up with him, "How is it back in Tellius?"

"No one's told you yet?" she asked.

"Nope. Mia wasn't very interested in talking this morning. I would have asked her on the way back, but I knocked her out," he said.

"I saw that," Lethe responded.

"So, what's going on?" he asked.

"Not much. Micaiah and Sothe got married though," she answered.

"Did they?" Ike said, "Saw that one coming."

"Yes, it was obvious," Lethe agreed.

"So how is it in Gallia? I'm sure with Skrimir in charge everyone's kept on their toes," Ike asked.

"That is an understatement. He's made everything very difficult, but he's learning. Slowly," she answered, "Ranulf really should have come, he's better with Skrimir."

"Why didn't he?" Ike inquired.

"Because he was needed to keep things in order at the castle. Besides that, I missed you..."

Ike turned to look at her; her last statement was missing her usual, biting sarcasm. For a second he thought he saw something in her eyes, but he couldn't be sure, as she immediately raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"What? No one else can take a beating like you. They all whine too much," she said.

"Ah, of course," Ike said, looking back in front of him.

"And speaking of that, I'm not going to let Mia steal all of the duels with you," she added.

"Well sunrise is her thing, we can spar later in the day though if you like," he replied.

"I would," she said, coming to a stop at her door, "I hope you've been practicing."

"Likewise," Ike said with a smile.

Lethe frowned and was about to make a comment when Lucius suddenly rounded the corner and bolted down the hallway, coming to a skidding halt and placing himself squarely behind Ike.

"Lucius," Ike said, looking down at the acolyte; he'd never seen him move so fast. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing really," he said calmly, peeking out from behind Ike's armored torso, "I'd appreciate it though if you would explain to Mia that I am _not_ her archrival."

Ike groaned, he knew he'd forgotten to tell Lucius something important. He looked up as Mia tore around the corner, a sword in each hand, with Nasir and Skrimir right behind her.

"Lucius, there you are!" she shouted, "Here, take this, we're having a duel."

She tried to hand Lucius the blade, but found her progress impeded by Ike.

"Boss," she said, looking up at him, "Can you move?"

"Mia, I know you're probably very excited, but Lucius is _not_ your archrival," he said, stepping to the left as Mia tried to get around him.

"That's right," Lucius said, "I wouldn't even know which end of the sword to hang onto."

"You'll figure it out pretty fast," Mia said, "And I've heard that line before!"

She tried a few more sidesteps around her commander before settling for a glare that would have turned a lesser man to stone.

"Sorry Mia," Ike said, "but he's not your man. I don't think _any_ healer will ever be. If you'd like though, I'll wear a white cape for tomorrow's duel."

"Really?" Mia said, perking up at the thought, "Wait, I thought we were leaving tomorrow."

"We'll just get up extra early," Ike said.

Mia thought about it before smiling up at him, "Okay then. G'night boss!"

At that she spun around and dashed off towards the room she shared with Mist.

Nasir sighed, watching her go, "That was close, I got to his room and found him in a chair with her trying to _tie_ a sword into his hand. She's a fast one."

"Don't I know it," Ike replied.

"Anyway, see you in the morning Ike," Nasir said, following Skrimir into their room.

"Yeah, night," he said, turning to Lethe, only to find her gone and the door firmly shut.

Ike sighed and rolled his eyes, "Night Lethe."

He banged on the door and heard a hiss from within, his cue to leave. He laughed and continued down the hallway, tomorrow would be interesting. All day on the road with friends he hadn't seen in months; he was looking forward to it.

***sighs* I actually thought this chapter was a bit lacking, but what can I say. From here on though, I'll be following a certain party each chapter, I'm thinking it will help keep it interesting. If you liked it, or didn't, doesn't really matter, then please review. I like to know what you think, but you know that by now. And on that note, I would also like to say thanks to those readers who have made it this far, nine chapters can be daunting if the writing is bad, so I hope I have done well thus far. Until next update,**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright. This chapter's big, this chapter's intense, this chapter is, in my opinion, an epic one. I really like this one, which is a rarity, so I hope you do as well. Here's number ten, yay for hitting double digits, yeah?**

"Oh, he was really mad," Mist said, looking up at Ike, who was having trouble keeping a straight face.

"So wait, after I left, _Boyd_ wanted to take over the company?" he asked, a smile twitching at his lips.

"Yup," Mist nodded, "It was even funnier though when Titania pretended to consider it. Shinon almost left again."

Ike's deep laughter filled the area as the group walked down the road, headed towards what they presumed to be Bern. They had been on the road for the better part of a week, but Ike was still catching up on what had happened in his absence.

"I can't believe she would do that," Ike said, "She's usually so serious."

"Yeah I know. Like I said, Boyd was so mad. He's been having a string of bad luck actually, he wanted to come look for you too, but Titania said he had to stay back," Mist said.

"Good for her," Ike said, "I don't think Boyd would be much help here."

Mist looked down at her feet and sighed, "Yeah I know, but he really did want to come."

Soren looked up from the map he'd been reading, "Touching, but I'd be inclined to agree with Ike."

"Yeah, I think everyone knows he would be more help back in Tellius," Mist replied.

"I didn't say that…"the mage muttered, once again burying his face in the map that was leading them towards the Bern border.

Mist frowned and was about to make a comment when Mia interjected, "So! How much longer until we reach this Bern place?"

"We should reach the border today, actually," Nasir said, peering over Soren's shoulder when the mage didn't provide an answer.

Mia cheered and thrust her sword into the air, "There's sure to be an arena there!"

"What, bored of dueling me?"Ike asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. I just think it's important to have a variety of duels. No one fights like you boss, but it's nice to change it up," she answered, examining her blade as she spoke.

"I see. Either way though, we're still going to have to figure out a way into this country," he said, looking over at Soren.

Soren's eyes narrowed as he looked more closely at the map before looking up, "It shouldn't be too hard. Despite what Eliwood told us about their security, we should be able to get in as long as we have a viable excuse."

"That excuse being…?"Lethe said, an air of challenge in her tone.

Soren didn't answer but continued walking.

"There's the border," he said, pointing to a massive wall in the distance.

The party stopped for a moment to simply stare.

"They don't have that thing surrounding the entire country, do they?" Mist asked.

"That would be impossible," Soren answered, continuing to walk which caused the others to follow, "they probably have one of these at every strategic entrance point though."

"Which brings us back to my question," Lethe said, "How do we get in?"

As they passed a wooden notice board erected on the side of the road Soren casually reached out and plucked a piece of paper off.

"This will do," he said, handing it to the laguz without so much as a glance.

Lethe looked it over and frowned, "This is rather…"

"Convenient? Yes it is," Soren finished, "but I expected something along those lines."

"What is it?" Ike asked, reaching over to take the notice from Lethe.

He looked it over and then looked back at the enormous construct that blocked their way.

"A call for strong mercenaries? Yes…this is rather convenient Soren, you say you were expecting something like this?" he said.

"Yes. We've concluded that the morphs must be getting their quintessence from powerful people," he answered, "And what better way to get the attention of such people than by simply enticing them with something like this?"

Ike looked back down at the piece of paper. He mouthed a few words silently before speaking the last seven words,

"…made a general and granted a peerage?"

Soren nodded.

"I find that rather hard to believe," Ike said, frowning as he re-read the notice, "If Elibe is anything like Tellius I doubt they go around handing out peerages."

"My thoughts exactly, but you can't deny it's bound to attract mercenaries of every skill level, no matter how unbelievable," Soren replied.

Ike nodded, he could think of several people back in Tellius that would jump at an opportunity like this.

"You have a plan, I assume?" he said, giving Soren an expectant look.

"Yes, and I'm sure you know what it is," Soren replied.

"Yes, yes I can see what you're getting at. We _are_ a group of mercenaries after all," Ike said, and then looked over at the three laguz, "With the exception of you three."

Nasir smiled, "No, while we're here we'd just as soon be mercenaries under your command than anything else, Ike."

Now Ike smiled, gesturing towards the wall that separated them from their objective, "Alright then. Greil Mercenaries, let's move out."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Harken looked both ways before darting across the dark hallway. He needed to find Isadora immediately, they were in big trouble. He burst into the small room the two shared and found her seated at the window, looking out towards the capital's main gates.

"Isadora," he said, closing the door behind him quietly, "we need to go."

"What's wrong?" she asked, turning from the window.

"We been noticed, summoned for the peerage ceremony," he said.

"Then you're right, I think we've learned as much as we can," she said, rising from her seat and taking up the lance that was resting against the wall, "Eliwood will be wondering where we are if we don't return soon."

The two quickly packed what they needed for a silent flight from the city before slipping into long traveling cloaks. This was not going to be easy. Harken opened the door and looked both ways once again before stepping out.

"Come," he said, waving his hand behind him, "we'll take the route that goes past the armory. Anyone asks and we're getting silver weaponry for the ceremony."

Isadora nodded and the two exited the room, walking down the hall at a fast clip. As they rounded a corner and walked right past the armory doors Harken turned,

"Alright, now I'm at a loss. Just pray we don't run into anyone."

"Or anything…" Isadora added.

"Yes, that too…" Harken agreed, his eyes darting about as they continued down the hallway.

"Too late," Isadora whispered, noting that they had hardly made it halfway to the castle gates before being tailed, "We've got one on us."

"I noticed. When we round the next corner you know what to do," he said.

The morph watched as the two in front of him continued on, apparently unconcerned. Certainly they knew he was there? He watched as they disappeared around the next corner and then he took off, silently running down the hallway. They were surely running down the hall, out of his view, and he couldn't lose them. Besides their quintessence, those two knew too much, it was time for him to-

The morph's thoughts abruptly halted as he rounded the corner and ran into Isadora's outstretched lance, impaling himself. He coughed once; he could feel himself slipping away, drifting off into nothingness. How odd, they hadn't been running…

Harken grabbed the morph's clothing as it disappeared and the two continued down the hall.

"One disaster averted," he said, looking over his shoulder as he spoke.

"Yes, but how many more to come? There's the front hall, we're almost out of the castle," Isadora replied.

The couple dashed down the stairs and headed for the front doors, all attempts at subtlety had been dropped. They burst through, knocking over two guardsmen who had been heading the opposite direction.

"Hey, watch it you filthy sell sword!" one shouted.

Neither heard, seeing as both of them had their attention directed towards the four figures that stood between them and the gates. Harken dodged the first, and grabbed the second, throwing him back onto Isadora's lance head. Harken headed for the last two, a voice in the back of his head telling him it wasn't normal that they had yet to move. The voice, however, wasn't loud enough, and he kept going, the morphs simply watching. As he attacked the first it threw itself on his blade, grabbing a hold of him as the second dealt with Isadora.

"Isadora!" he cried, struggling with the morph, trying to get out of its failing grip as it began to fade away.

"Gods above," Isadora hissed, feeling the vibrations the morph's blow sent down her lance, "Harken, this one's not-"

Her words were cut off as another came at her from behind, its lance finding its way through her armor and into her side. She screamed and fell to the ground, tripping one and pulling it over herself as the other thrust downward. The morph was unperturbed by this tactic, and thrust again. Over and over it attacked, until Isadora was left with a tattered cloak in her hands as she backed away.

Harken let out a grunt as he finally freed himself from the morph's hold and thrust his sword through its head before turning to Isadora. The last morph was standing over her, trying to get its lance past her own. Harken dropped his sword and went to the axe at his side, hurling it at the morph. It caught the ethereal being in the neck and it fell towards Isadora, casting aside its lance as its hand sought something on its belt.

Harken ran for Isadora, sliding on his knees as he tackled the morph, his heart jumping into his throat as he heard Isadora gasp. He grabbed at a slim sword hidden on his back and shoved it through the morph's eye before whirling around to examine his wife.

Isadora lay on her back; her hands pressing down upon the lance wound while her eyes examined the dagger stuck in her other side.

"How is it?" Harken asked, ripping a section of his cloak off and tying it around the open wound before shifting his attention to the dagger.

"It hurts," she said, "I think he hit something-"

She stopped and began to cough, casting a red mist into the air.

"I think he hit something important," she finished, her breathing heavy.

Harken nodded, ignoring her stab at humor. He picked her up and balanced her on his shoulders, heading for the trees on either side of the path that led from the castle to the rest of the capital.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ike grimaced as he looked around. They were in a dirty pub, overflowing with mercenaries of all types. Most were not the kind he would ever enlist. He looked over as a loud voice caught his attention.

"Hey hey, you're a pretty one!"

A rather large man was looking down at Mia, his eyes clearly directed where they weren't supposed to be. She looked up at him and then over at Ike, an imploring look on her face.

Ike gave a slight nod and she smiled, looking back up at the mercenary.

"Am I?" she said, looking at him over her shoulder as she turned her back on him.

The man was about to say something when Mia's hand reached down and pushed violently on the handle of her sheathed sword, sending the opposite end up and in between the man's legs. He dropped to the floor, his shrill cry making Ike start; he didn't think such a large man could hit such a high pitch.

"What was that- why'd you-"

He continued to sputter, cursing and howling as he banged on the floor with one hand while holding his injury in the other.

"You're gonna wish you'd let me-"

He stopped as he looked up and found the woman gone.

"Aw come on boss, I could have taken him," Mia protested as Ike dragged her off and through the cramped pub.

"Yes you could've, easily," Ike said, "but it'd be best not to start anything."

"Yeah yeah," she replied, breaking the grip he had on her shoulder, "I won't draw any attention."

"Good. Stay here," Ike said, gesturing towards the counter the others had seated themselves in front of, "I'm going to see what this is all about."

Ike made his way into the most hectic corner of the bar and found himself being pushed and shoved as dozens of mercenaries tried to shout out their respective credentials over the din.

"I served with Ostia for six months!"

"Me and my company train on the Dread Isle!"

"I can best Marquess Pherae in a duel!"

Ike laughed as they continued to shout at the annoyed looking soldier that stood in the middle of it all. He slowly began to make his way through the crowd, grabbing more than a few shoulders and throwing their owners to the ground if they tried to protest. Finally he was standing a few feet from the man, watching as he tried to take down names and details. It looked like shouting had little effect though, he was writing rather slowly. In fact, as Ike glanced at what was on the parchment, he became convinced the man couldn't write at all. He was probably here to keep them happy while whoever was deemed worthy was taken elsewhere. Ike frowned, how was one deemed worthy?

He shrugged and made his way back to the table, there was only one way he could think of.

"What's going on?" Lethe asked as Ike took a seat between Mist and herself.

Six heads all tilted towards him as he tried to speak over the noise.

"Mia," he began, "forget what I said about not drawing attention. We need to clear this pub out. Do it fast and don't talk to anyone. Skrimir, you and Nasir will stand by the doors to make sure no one gets back in."

They stared at him for a moment before Mia spoke up,"Seriously?"

Ike nodded.

"That's good enough for me," she said, standing from her bar stool and darting out into the chaos.

After a minute they saw an orange blur by the door, and the man who'd tried to talk to her before went flying out the door.

"Well," Ike shouted, "Get to it!"

At that they dispersed, but it took a moment before anyone could tell what was happening, least of the soldier in the back. Eventually he looked up though, and when he did he found the crowd in front of him incredibly thinned. In fact, there were only five people left in the whole pub. He poked his head out the window and stared, it seemed there had been a mass exodus and now the entirety of the pub's occupants had been moved out into the street, and were all trying to get back in.

Ike looked over at his remaining four and nodded towards the entrance, "Go help those two keep everyone out. Mist, you stay with me."

Ike turned back to the soldier and casually walked over. The man looked up at him and cleared his throat,

"What can I do for you?"

"We're here about the peerage," Ike answered.

"Of course," he replied, "you and everyone else."

"Yeah," Ike said, "and as you can see we're rather serious about it. Now, how about you skip pretending to write our names down and tell us what we need to do to get that peerage."

The soldier looked back out the window and then back at Ike, "Well, that's a good start, but the king won't like it. I'm under orders to find strong mercenaries."

Ike raised an eyebrow.

"Which you obviously are," the man continued, "but I need to get back to my orders. Just let them back in and come back tonight when everyone's turned in for the night. I'll take you back to the castle with me."

Without a word Ike turned and left, Mist following him out, and before her knew it the soldier found himself once again being jostled and pushed as what seemed to be thousands of mercenaries tried to prove their worth through words alone.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Mia's laughing was uncontrollable as the group slowly walked down the road.

"You should have seen his face!" she said through her smile as she tried to breathe properly, "He didn't know what hit him."

Skrimir nodded, "I will admit, that was fun."

They had slipped away after Ike had told them what was going to happen, which had been easier than they'd expected, and now they were aimlessly wandering about the capital, trying to find a decent inn.

"Shouldn't we move _towards_ the castle?" Mist asked, pointing behind them, "That's where all the nice inns are."

"No," Soren answered, "Eliwood gave us the gold to pretty much do whatever we want, but staying closer to the upscale houses and residents would make us seem out of place."

Mist sighed, "Yeah, you're right...as usual."

"You should be used to it by now," Soren replied.

Mist stared at him, not quite sure if he was attempting a joke or not.

"Anyway," she said after a moment of silence, "this place up here on the right looks nice enough."

The group stopped front of the inn, examining it from the street. It had only two levels, and four windows that they could see, and some of the woodwork looked like it needed to be redone.

"Yes, this will do," Nasir said, "Ike, do you want to…"

Ike looked over at the dragon as he stopped speaking, and followed his gaze into the woods. All he caught was the flutter of cloak's edge, but he knew Nasir had spotted someone.

"Come on," Ike said, heading through the alley that led to the back of the building.

They followed quietly, knowing that if they had been recognized they would have to flee the country. They pushed their way into the thick undergrowth and allowed Lethe to take point.

"Can you follow them?" Ike asked.

"There's no scent," she replied, "but they left a fairly easy visible trail."

Ike looked over at Mia as they followed the laguz. She shrugged; she couldn't see a trail either. They came to a halt as Lethe held up a hand.

"I can hear them further in. They're speaking too quietly for me to tell what they're saying, but we should hurry if we want to catch them both," she said, rolling out from her cover and shifting.

As they burst into the small clearing they found themselves looking at seven cloaked figures.

"There's more than two," Soren said quietly, slipping his bolganone from his robes.

"I see that," Ike said, "that just means we'll have to take them out fast. Move!"

They did, fanning out quickly to block escape points as the morphs turned to run.

"Don't let them go!" Ike shouted, sending out a wave of purple energy as he brought Ragnell down in front of him, rending the earth at his feet.

Lethe managed to pounce on one before it had a chance to move, but the other six disappeared like shadows at noon, gone into the foliage before they could be caught.

"After them! We can't let them go," Ike shouted, taking off into the trees, the others close behind.

After a few moments of this relentless chase, Nasir caught up with Ike and put a hand on his shoulder, slowing him down.

"Ike, they're gone, we need to do an organized search now, we can't just chase them," he said.

"…right, okay," Ike said through his labored breathing, "we'll split into groups of two, Mist; you come with me and Soren. Meet back in thirty minutes."

"We won't find them," Soren said, "They're too smart for that."

"…I know, but we need to try," Ike said, cutting down an offending branch that had been in his way.

"I suppose so," Soren said.

Thirty minutes was hardly long enough, and as they regrouped in the clearing no one had anything to report.

"Nothing, sorry," Lethe said, "They were much more careful this time."

"As I would expect," Nasir responded, "We'll just have to watch our backs from now on. Not that we didn't have to before."

"Alright then," Ike said, "Let's get back to that inn. We'll have to hope they don't know who we are, and were just checking out our bar stunt."

As they were pushing their way back to the capital's borders a cry arose from the forest around them, a single, outraged word, delirious with pain.

"PHERAAAAE!"

Ike's head swiveled as he tried to determine its direction.

"This way," Lethe said, taking off into the trees.

The others crashed off into the bushes after her, their minds already shuffling through the possibilities of what they would find.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The battle cry left Harken's lips as his body hit the ground, his foes falling on him with blades drawn. Still, he fought on, rising against them as their weapons rose and fell time and time again. He looked over; he could see Isadora watching him with half closed eyes, lips curved into a bitter smile. He turned back to the six surrounding him and lashed out, taking a head off as he moved forward, feeling their blades bite into his now exposed skin.

His armor had long since fallen away, but he felt there was something left to fight for. He wondered what exactly, as he fell to the ground once again, since his love had already gone before him. His body lurched as something entered his chest, sliding neatly in between his ribs. It was an odd sensation, no pain as one would expect. He blinked in surprise, he was dying? It felt better than he'd anticipated, but he was still glad he had delayed it after Lord Elbert's death, if only for a few years. Harken closed his eyes, he was ready to go. Suddenly, however, the weight of the morphs was gone. He opened his eyes, curious as to what had happened.

The morphs were scattered about in pieces, which quickly faded, and a blue haired man strode towards him, his sword moving about as he shouted out orders, he couldn't hear what was said however. Harken smiled; the intensity in this man's eyes reminded him of Lord Elbert, and young Eliwood. The man bent as he reached Harken and shouted something over his shoulder before looking down at Harken, and then over at Isadora. Harken followed his gaze, and saw a young woman kneeling next to his wife. She closed her eyes and shook her head as she rose and made her way over to Harken.

She lowered her staff over his forehead and murmured to herself as it began to glow. His back arched as he felt life flood back into his veins, it was actually painful. She blinked as the jewel at the end of her staff broke in two. Harken smiled at her, she had done all she could, but he was fading fast. He looked back towards the man, who was now speaking directly to him. His words kept fading in and out.

"…your name…are you…Pherae…Eliwood…"

Harken's mind kicked into gear at this last word; this was what he'd been waiting for.

"What?" he coughed out, hoping he sounded as clear to them as he did himself.

"What's your name?" the man repeated, "Are you from Pherae? Eliwood sent us, we need to know."

"Harken," he gasped, looking around at the unfamiliar faces, "I'm Harken."

A young man with ebony hair knelt next to the first, "Then I hate to be rude, but you need to tell us what you know while you still can."

Harken nodded, in the end he would be able to get his information to Lord Eliwood.

"_A moment longer, Isadora."_

"We came six months ago, using the ruse of mercenaries; it was the easiest way into the country. We weren't looking for anything in particular, but you must tell Lord Eliwood they have returned, he will know what I mean," Harken said.

"Morphs, we know," Soren said, trying to hide his annoyance at the old news, "Anything else?"

Harken nodded, "Yes. They're using the peerage as a lure, but the most important information is about the king."

"We suspected the peerage, is that all?" the black haired man pressed.

Harken's brow furrowed as he struggled to breath a moment longer, hadn't they heard him?

"It's the king, he's-"

"He's speaking gibberish Ike," Soren said, shaking his head, "We're going to lose him soon."

Harken's heart fell into the pit of his stomach, they didn't understand him? He had so much to tell them! He steeled himself for one last rally, this information was vital. However, he was stopped by a certain someone, looking at him over the blue haired man's shoulder.

"Harken," Isadora said, "enough. If they are meant to deal with this, they will. Eliwood placed his faith in them, and that's as much as either of us can do either. Trust Eliwood, trust they will unravel this web for themselves."

Harken nodded slowly as he looked at Isadora, and then at her fallen body. It was time for this old soldier to make his peace with the battle field.

"He's gone," Soren said, rising from his knees and brushing the dirt from them, "and he was hardly helpful."

"I'm not one to correct you," Ike said slowly, his gaze locked on the man who lay in front of them, "but I believe he was. We now know beyond a shadow of a doubt we're on the right track, and we need to get into that castle."

Soren shrugged.

"Harken…" Mist said quietly, "Then that must be Isadora."

They all turned to look at the fallen knight, lying against the tree trunk Harken had placed her against before dealing with the morphs.

"I'm sorry…" Mist cried, speaking more to the dead than anyone else.

"Mist, your staff broke, there's nothing you could have done about that," Ike said, putting his arm around her.

"I know…"she replied.

"What are we going to do with them?" Mia asked, tactfully changing the subject, "We can't just leave them here."

"No," Ike said, "and it's getting late, we can't miss that guard's invitation."

After a moment Soren spoke up, slowly removing an Elfire from his robes, "A funeral pyre. Those in Lycia are known as children of Roland to some, wielder of the blazing sword, Durandal. It will be a fitting end."

Ike nodded and lifted Harken, placing him next to his beloved. He stepped back and Soren set the tree aflame, the only one in the clearing. The group watched as the flames made their way down, eventually consuming the knights of Pherae.

"Come on," Ike said, turning to leave, "people will come soon; we don't want to be seen here."

He looked back over his shoulder as they walked towards the capital, watching as the smoke rose higher and higher, turning everything he looked at into a wavering mirage. He sighed and turned away, life was too short to be this unpredictable.

**There you have it, the first character death in this fic. There's some in most of my work, I think it makes it more real, since life is never so perfect. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As usual, if you liked it or found something wrong with it please drop a quick review to me. Thanks, see you next update.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	11. Chapter 11

**And we're back! But seriously, I feel terrible for taking this long to update. Due to certain circumstances (my main PC's trial of word ending, which we didn't know was a trial somehow) I haven't been able to type for the longest time. But I got a laptop, so here I am, back in action. So that's that, here's chapter eleven. Before you start though, I must say that the light runes are to be thought of as the ones from Radiant Dawn, which last much longer than the Fire Emblem ones, if not forever. And to Epona64, I'm sorry I went ahead and updated, but I couldn't stand not updating in so long. Next chapter I'll be sure to get your complete input. Enjoy!**

Sain pulled his visor back as his steed kicked up dust around him.

"Hold on now!" he coughed out, rising to his feet, "I wasn't even ready!"

Kent's brow cocked as he looked down at his friend from atop his own horse.

"Well you were supposed to be. You've been slacking lately," Kent said, poking Sain in the chest with the dulled tip of his training lance.

"Nonsense," Sain protested indignantly, brushing the lance away, "I told you, I just wasn't ready."

"Fine. We'll do it again," Kent said, walking his horse back to the jousting run.

"You'll see," Sain said, pulling his visor back down, "This will be over before you know it."

The two paladins lined up, lances at the ready, and looked to Lowen, who was watching from the sidelines. The knight raised his arm and let it fall, causing the two to charge at one another as fast as they could. Before he knew it, Sain found himself on the ground again, staring up at Kent much like a few moments previous.

"Well?" the red knight said, leaning forward expectantly.

"I'm having an off day," Sain said, getting to his feet once again.

"Well Lowen's having a good one; you'll be sparring with him for the remainder of the day," Kent said, riding off toward the stables.

Sain frowned; Kent was being unusually unforgiving today. He shrugged it off though, it wouldn't last long, it never did.

"Come on Lowen," he called out, "Let's get started."

Just as the two had taken up their positions, a painful scream came from the castle, causing both knights to turn and look towards the western tower. After a few more moments, another followed the first, piercing the now silent training grounds. Both knights dashed towards the castle.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"In the name of St. Elimine, push!" Priscilla nearly shouted.

"I AM!" Nino answered, her face red from exertion.

"Well push harder," Priscilla said, trying to stay calm as Nino shrieked yet again.

"Why is this happening so early?" Jaffar asked, ignoring the hand that Nino had latched onto, although she was quite close to breaking something.

"Because it happens sometimes," Priscilla said, "They don't just pop out after nine months to the day- Nino, help me here please!"

"I'm trying!" Nino answered, "But it's hard with a baby in there, not to mention your arms!"

"I can only imagine how hard this must be," Priscilla said, "but you need to help me when I tell you to."

Nino's eyes were shut tight as she nodded, screaming through clenched teeth as Priscilla directed her. After a few more minutes of this dragged by, a resonating crack filled the room. Nino's eyes snapped open and she looked down at Jaffar's hand, which he seemed rather unconcerned with.

"Jaffar," Nino shrieked, "your hand-"

"I have her!" Priscilla said, emerging from the cloth wrapped around Nino's legs with a wet, crying baby in her arms.

It was at that moment that Sain and Lowen charged into the room, their lances now replaced with swords.

"Where are the fiends- agh!" Sain shouted, spinning about as soon as he caught sight of Nino, hauling Lowen out behind him.

Nino hardly noticed however, as she was now cradling her daughter as Priscilla saw to cutting the umbilical cord.

"There," she said, placing the small knife she'd used on a nearby table, "I think we're done."

Nino didn't respond as she looked into her daughter's eyes, a soft smile on her face, a smile that was oddly enough shared by her husband.

"Jaffar," Priscilla said.

He snapped back to attention, his smile disappearing in an instant. In fact, Priscilla wondered if he knew he'd been smiling at all.

"If you'll run to the armory and get a recover staff, I'll take care of that," she continued, gesturing to his mangled hand.

He looked down at it and shook his head, "I will be fine. I'm staying here."

Priscilla sighed; she had been expecting an answer like that, "All right then. Sain, I know you're still out there. Go to the armory and get me that staff please."

A rather sheepish voice called out from the other side of the door, "Ah, right, of course. Sorry about that…"

Priscilla laughed as she heard him head off down the stairs while he continued to apologize, he was really quite funny; maybe not as charming as he liked to think, but definitely funny. After a few minutes he returned, thrusting the staff through the door without actually entering the room.

"You can come in now," Priscilla said as she took the staff and walked over to Jaffar.

Sain's head poked through the open door and the rest of him followed shortly after, along with Lowen.

"Sorry about that," he said, grinning despite himself, "We were training, and suddenly cries of bloody murder arose from the western tower. Naturally we ran to see what was going on…"

"It's alright," Priscilla said, looking over at Jaffar and Nino, "I don't think either of them will remember anything else about this day but her."

Sain smiled and looked over at the two, gazing down at their baby daughter.

"Leila…" Jaffar said quietly, looking at her as she lay in Nino's arms.

"She has your nose," Nino said, looking up at Jaffar.

"Let's hope she doesn't have the rest of his face," Sain said quietly.

Lowen laughed, looking at Jaffar's stony, if pleased, expression.

"I heard that," Priscilla said, holding back a laugh, "Get out of here Sain, Nino needs to rest now."

"Of course," Sain said, grinning roguishly as he ducked out of the room, Lowen at his heels.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You what?" Kent asked, taking a swipe at Sain as the two sat in the barracks.

"Hey," Sain said, jumping back as Kent's gauntlet flew by, "I told you it was an accident!"

Kent simply moaned and brought an open palm to his face, covering his eyes.

"I tell you to train with Lowen, and you burst in on Nino while she's in childbirth. The poor girl…" he said, trailing of as he mumbled something about the decline of chivalry.

"Oh, enough of that now," Sain protested, "You wouldn't be angry if someone had actually been in trouble, now would you?"

"No," Kent said haltingly, "I suppose you're right. I'm sorry, I overreacted. If Nino wasn't upset I suppose I shouldn't be."

"My thoughts exactly," Sain said, clapping his friend on the back, "Now come on, let's get back to sparring!"

"I can't," Kent answering, rising from the table as he spoke, "I'm meeting with Lord Eliwood to go over perimeter defenses. We won't have morphs running around the castle if we can help it."

"Oh I see," Sain said with a frown, watching as his prospective sparring partner once again left him alone with Lowen as his only other option. Well, there was always Marcus, but Elimine knew he wasn't challenging _him_ to a sparring match.

Sain rose from the table and headed for the door. He'd heard Dorcus was due for a visit soon, maybe he'd see if he couldn't convince him to friendly match. However, before he could make it out of the barracks, Priscilla entered, her eyes roving the crowded room.

"Oh dear…" Sain breathed as her gaze locked on him and she walked towards him. Any other day he'd have been delighted to see her, but perhaps she was miffed over his interruption after all.

"Sain," she said as she neared him, "I was wondering if you'd be willing to do something for me?"

Sain smiled, he had been a bit surprised by her commanding air earlier that day, but her gentle inquiry told him she had since returned to her usually serenity.

"Of course I am willing, what would you have me do?" he asked, happy to have her quietly asking instead of telling him what to do.

"Nino is going to need someone to stand at her door for the next few days. I hesitate to call it a guard, but in light of recent events I suppose that's what it will be. I thought Jaffar would do it, but he is returning to his duties, despite Lord Eliwood's urging. I was hoping you might be the one to stand watch over Nino, it will only be for three days at most," she explained, looking up at him as she spoke, her eyes imploring him to accept. At least, that's how it felt to Sain, not that he minded in the least.

"I would be happy to," he said lightly, heading off towards the western tower for the second time that day.

"Thank you," Priscilla said as the two walked side by side, "I would have asked Kent, but he was busy with Lord Eliwood."

Sain laughed, "That's Kent for you, it's one of his more endearing qualities I think."

Priscilla's light laughter mingled with Sain's deeper tones, it was no secret that Kent was always doing one thing if not another, with hardly a moment's rest in between.

"Yes, I should think it is," she said, coming to a stop as the two came to a divergence in the hallway, "This is where we part ways, I have to go see Ninian. Thank you again, Sain."

"My pleasure," Sain replied, heading down the hallway in the opposite direction as Priscilla took the eastward leading corridor.

Sain began to hum as he jauntily made his way down the hallway and up the stairs that led to Nino's room; this had turned out to be a good day after all. As he came to the top he stopped at Nino's door and knocked softly.

"Come in."

He slowly opened the door and poked his head in.

"Oh, Sain!" Nino said, "Come in, I haven't seen you in a while."

"Ah, yeah…" Sain said with a laugh, taking a step into the room, "Anyway, I've been asked to watch over you for the next few days, I'll be just outside the door if you need anything."

Nino sighed, "I told them I didn't need anyone…"

"Oh come now, think of it as having someone to talk to," he said.

"I suppose if it's you I don't mind, I was afraid it would be someone I didn't know," she answered, "And I _do_ have someone to talk to."

"So I saw- er…heard," Sain said, walking over to the bedside.

Nino said nothing as the two looked down at the sleeping infant she held in her arms.

"She's beautiful," Sain said, noticing that she really did have her father's nose.

Nino laughed, "I'm sure that would mean something, if it came from anyone but you."

Sain feigned injury as he drew back, "Nino, how could you say such a thing? It _always_ means something, especially when it comes from me."

"Yes yes, I know…but you are right," she answered, her face glowing with joy.

"Of course I am, as I am about all matters of the heart, not to mention the fairer sex," Sain added.

"I'm sure you are Sain," Nino responded absentmindedly, her attention once again directed to the new life she held in her arms.

Sain took the opportunity to slip out quietly; if he was right, which he always was, Leila would not be so peaceful once she awoke and wanted to be fed. No, he definitely wanted a nice stone wall between her and himself when that time came.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eliwood looked up from the perimeter map he and Kent were studying as Wil burst into the room.

"Lord Pent and Lady Louise have just arrived, I spotted them from the castle ramparts," he said breathlessly, looking from Kent to Eliwood.

"Excellent, they're here just in time," Eliwood said, adjusting his rapier as he stood and headed for the door.

The other two followed him out and down to the castle's main entrance where they found Pent and Louise just about to open the huge doors for themselves.

"Ah, Eliwood," Pent said, a smile coming to his face at the site of his old friend, "it's good to see you again, although I am curious as to what you'll be needing these for."

Wil looked at Kent as the sage hefted the bag he carried over one shoulder.

"Lord Pent," Wil said, "What's in the bags?"

"Wil, enough with the lord nonsense, I didn't like being called that even when I still was one. As for the bags…" he said, reaching in and pulling out a round, ornately crafted piece of stone.

"Light runes," Louise finished.

"And not a moment too soon," Eliwood said, taking the bag Louise was holding, "We were just about to get started."

"Started with what?" Wil asked, taking the bag that Pent had set at his feet.

"We're sealing up any entrance into the castle aside from its main doors," Eliwood said, heading back into the castle, "we thought it would be the simplest way to make sure the perimeters were easy to maintain."

"I guess," Wil replied, "but not with the way Limstella and Ephidel can just…appear."

"True, but it will still make it harder to get into the castle without being noticed. Anyone who simply appears out of thin air is definitely not one of ours," Kent explained.

Wil nodded, "Yes, but that's only if they appear where someone can see them."

"Right, but either way this is a good first step," Pent said, closing the doors behind them as they entered the castle's main hall.

"So," Eliwood said, "if we start now we should have the castle sealed up by evening. Pent, Louise, you can begin in the western wing, I can go to the eastern with Wil and Kent."

The sage nodded in agreement and the group split, each toting a bag of light runes. A few hours later, they met up in Eliwood's study.

"We have three left," Louise said, placing them on a table in the middle of the room.

"We have one," Kent added, setting theirs atop the small pile.

"Good," Eliwood said, "hopefully we didn't miss anything, but if we did we can use these."

"So what now?" Wil asked.

"Food," Pent said after a moment of silence, "if you don't mind. We haven't eaten since this morning."

"Go right ahead," Eliwood answered, "In fact, I think I'll join you. I didn't realize how hungry I was until you said that."

"Myself as well," Kent added, "I didn't notice how late it was getting, the sun's almost set."

The group stood for a moment as the sun disappeared on the horizon, painting the room with a few final dusty sunbeams before it did so. It had taken them longer than they had expected, but hopefully it hadn't been for nothing.

"Come on," Pent said, taking Louise by the hand as they headed for the door, "I think I remember my way to the dining hall."

"Maybe so, but who's to say I didn't block it off?" Wil said, a grin on his slim features.

"I am," Eliwood answered, "because I was with you the whole time, and if you did I'd consider it official grounds for a duel."

"Fine by me," Wil said, continuing with the banter, "Any day on any shooting range of your choice."

"How about the range where Louise is on the other end?" Eliwood said, smiling over at Pent and Louise.

Wil laughed, "Alright, you win, that's one duel I wouldn't touch with a ten foot lance."

"Mhmm," Louise said, holding back a laugh, "Good to hear, we wouldn't want to lose you over something as silly as food."

"Very true, when you put it that way," Wil replied pulling back the door to the dining hall so the others could enter.

As they filed in they found Lucius and Fiora having a rather animated conversation.

"I told you, I don't _do_ anything," Lucius said, a patient smile on his face.

"…so your hair just looks like that?" she questioned, looking carefully at the acolyte's shining blonde hair.

"Yes, it just does," Lucius answered, noticing the others as Fiora gently turned his head to one side to examine his hair.

"Pent, Louise," he said, causing Fiora to look up from her examination, "I didn't know you would be here! How is Klein?"

"Fine," Louise answered, taking a seat across from Lucius, "We decided to leave him at home though, Erk said he would watch him."

"Isn't Lord Erk rather busy?" Lucius asked.

"None of that," Pent said before Louise could answer, "We've known Erk since long before he became the Mage General."

"Yes, you really shouldn't take to calling him that, his ego is big enough as is," added Louise, "but to answer your question, yes he is busy, but he was coming over anyway. He had a question for Pent, as well as a few days to do a favor for old friends."

"I see," Lucius said, turning back to Fiora only to find her deep in conversation with Kent. He sighed happily and stood from the table.

"At any rate, I think it's time I head off to my quarters, good night all," he said, heading for the door.

"Lucius wait," Louise called out just as he was about to leave the room, "How _do_ you get your hair to look like that?"

Lucius turned around slowly, a patient, if pained, expression on his effeminate features. This caused Louise to burst out laughing as she tried to reassure him, "Oh Lucius, I was only kidding, I really don't care all that much. Now leave before Fiora decides your hair is more interesting than Kent, which it probably is. We'll see you tomorrow."

Lucius smiled and turned, quickly leaving the room before someone _else_ could make a ridiculous inquiry of him.

"I didn't know he was here," Louise said, turning to Eliwood as Lucius left the room, "Is Raven here as well?"

"Yes," Eliwood said, pausing as he spoke to a servant at his side, "They arrived a week or two ago. Just after Ike and Soren, if memory serves."

"Ah yes, I heard something of them when Fiora came for that book you wanted," Pent said, "What are they like? Fiora didn't say much besides they had just arrived in Pherae."

Eliwood sighed, "I don't know where to start. It's true they did arrive recently, but they came through one of the Scouring circles."

"Oh really," Pent said, "And?"

Had anyone else made such an outlandish claim Pent would have been skeptical, but seeing as it was Eliwood he only felt curiosity.

"They are interesting, that's for certain," Eliwood began, "They exhibit an unwavering faith in each other, you can see the trust there is between them. Soren doesn't talk much, and Ike very straightforward and to the point. Imagine if Hector had grown up among the peasantry and it might begin to describe him, but he's very idealistic; a true altruist."

"I shudder at the thought of Hector in the peasantry," Pent said, "He's brusque enough as is. I'm sure those two hit it off though?"

"Oh yes," Eliwood answered, "They even had a sparring match. I think everyone was surprised when Ike won, at least, everyone who knew Hector."

"Yes, I would have liked to see that," Louise commented, "but what is Soren like?"

"Eh…to put it simply, he is to Lucius as Ike is to Raven," Eliwood said, eliciting a nod from Wil and Kent.

"Really? Is he quite so…delicate?" Louise asked.

"No, his face looks little like Lucius', but he's a mage, and a good one at that. Mastered Fimbulvetr in about five minutes," Eliwood replied.

"Is that so? Sounds like they complement one another well," Pent said, "And I would love to meet a mage of such skill."

"You may get a chance yet," Kent said, "They're out on 'business' for Eliwood, but they'll hopefully make it back one piece."

"I'm counting on it," Eliwood said, a little more darkly than he intended.

"What's this?" Pent asked, turning to look at his friend.

"I'm sorry," Eliwood apologized, "It's just Harken and Isadora are three days overdue. I try not to worry, but I can't help but think something is wrong."

"Knowing those two they stopped on the way back to renew their vows," Louise said with a grin, "I'm sure they're fine Eliwood."

This drew a laugh from Eliwood, who sat back in his chair as the food came out, relaxing for the first time that day.

"Yes, I'm sure your right," he said, "but enough talking; now that the food's here I'm sure talking is the last thing on your mind."

"It probably is, so stop talking."

They turned as Eleanora came into the room from the door that led to the kitchens.

"Lady Eleanora," Pent said, standing from his seated position, "Good to see you again."

"Sit back down Pent," she said, "I know you've come a long ways today. Besides, I need a new palate to test my cooking on; Eliwood's already tried everything I can make."

"You made this?" Louise questioned.

"Yes, there's not much for me to do in this castle know that my son has taken over. At times I think he's more obsessive than his father ever was," she replied, "So lately I've taken to cooking. But enough of that, tell me what you think."

At that silence prevailed in the dining hall, the occasional sounds of cups and cutlery the only things to be heard.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eliwood sighed as he looked over the papers on his desk, his head cradled in one hand. He glanced over at the low burning candles; it was late, but he wasn't tired. The others had gone to bed by this point, and he was sure he was the only one awake, with the exception of Jaffar, who was prowling about as usual. He really didn't know when the man slept. Perhaps during the daylight hours? An image of Jaffar, wrapped in a cloak and hanging upside down from the ceiling in some dark corner of the castle, found its way into his mind. Eliwood rose and shook his head, when Jaffar started hanging from the rafters it was time for bed. He snuffed the candles out with his fingers and opened the door, pausing to look at the moon in the night sky before closing it completely.

As he came to his chambers he slowly opened the door, a moonbeam falling across Ninian's sleeping form. He quietly removed his rapier and changed, sliding into bed and staring at the ceiling as his mind raced. Ike and his group were not due back for some time, but Harken and Isadora were. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something had befallen two of his most loyal knights. And then there was the trouble with Castle Ostia, not to mention morphs in Bern…

Eliwood started as shriek filled the night. It pervaded the castle for a full minute, freezing Eliwood where he lay, before finally fading into the chirping cicadas outside the castle. Eliwood leapt from his bed, his rapier at one side and Ninian at the other.

"Where," he said, choosing a direction as the two ran from their room.

"…the western tower," Ninian said quietly, running alongside her husband as he headed for the western wing.

As they ran past Pent and Louise's quarters the two emerged from their room, following in the same direction, but saying nothing. When they finally reached the winding stairs and began to climb, Kent, Wil, Lucius and Raven had also joined their ranks. They stopped momentarily as Eliwood slipped, falling hard on the stone stairs, catching himself on an open palm. He brought the hand to his face as he got to his feet, it was smeared with blood.

"Sain…" Kent whispered, causing the group to renew their frenzied pace up the stairs.

When they reached the top they found he was right. The green clad knight was sprawled on the floor, bleeding from a head wound, but breathing. That was no longer what held their attention, however, as all eyes were directed towards the open door. They filed in slowly, weapons drawn, only to put them away. Jaffar sat on the ground on front of them, his back to the wall, both daggers on the ground next to him. Nino was leaning against him, grasping his shoulder as silent tears slid down her cheeks, her unfocused eyes staring at the space in front of her.

Eliwood's head slowly turned to look at the cradle at the far end of the small room.

"Dead," Jaffar said, eyes looking nowhere but ahead of him.

Eliwood walked slowly to its side, looking down at the pale form that lay face down on the bedding. He reached down; his hand hovering over Leila's back, not wanting to confirm what Jaffar had said. He looked over at the two, Nino still staring blankly ahead of her, shuddering slightly.

Eliwood nearly jumped as a tiny hand latched onto his finger. He looked back down at Leila, and slowly turned her over. A pair of tiny golden eyes met his gaze, searching his face, not uttering a sound. He broke her grip on his finger and drew his hand back.

"Jaffar…" he said quietly, trying to keep the revulsion out of his voice.

"She's dead," Jaffar finished, "my Leila is dead."

**It's always darkest before the dawn, so they say. This fic is not meant as a tragedy or angst fic, but I do think characters in a story need to go through some tough times before anything good can come of it. I hope you liked it, I apologize to any who were upset that I wrote another downer, I thought it went well though, all heartache aside. Drop me a review if you have the time, I haven't heard from you in a while. And yaya...what _have_ you been doing to your pen name?**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	12. Chapter 12

**And I'm back! Sorry that took so long, I can assure you I do intend to finish this fic, it's just taking longer than usual. Thanks to Epona64, as well as the rest of you who read this, I hope this chapter is enjoyable, if a bit short.**

Hector snarled as his fist slammed down upon the tabletop, bringing forth a groan of protest from the wooden legs.

"Answer me," he demanded, moving closer to the bound morph.

The morph simply stared, drilling Hector with its golden eyes. With a grunt Hector brought his hand up, catching the morph on the chin and sending it careening into the far wall of its holding cell. Its knees buckled under another flurry of blows as it tried to stand, causing it to fall flat on its face.

"This is," it said quietly, pausing to take a breath before sighing out the last three words, "a pointless endeavor."

"I would have to disagree with you," Hector answered, planting a foot on the morph's back.

Its head turned as it stared up at him, "Nothing will come of _this_."

Hector pressed down until he heard a brittle crack from the morph's ribcage, causing its last word to come out as a breathy hiss.

"Wrong," he quipped, leaning closer to the morph's pale face, "I'm rather enjoying this."

"Likewise," the morph coughed, pushing itself to its knees before a crippling blow to the small of the back sent it flying into the opposite wall yet again.

"This body can only take so much abuse," it said, looking up at Hector as he towered over it, balancing on its knees and elbows, "and then I'll be gone, leaving you with nothing, again. Suppose my limits are less than you think…"

Hector pulled it upright by the front of the shirt and slammed it into the wall, "I'm willing to push it."

The morph continued to stare, its monotone infuriated the lord more than anything else, "So be it. You will lose in the end though. Good bye Lord Hector."

With a hoarse shout Hector spun and flung it to the ground head first before squatting over its inert form.

"We'll see about that," he said quietly, rising to his feet and throwing the door open, bellowing out a single word into the corridor, "SeeerrAAAAAA!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"You'll fall doing that," Oswin warned, looking at Serra out of the corner of his eye as he polished his armor.

"Nonsense," Serra said with a laugh, leaning farther back on the hind legs of the chair she sat in, "I do this all the time, anyone with a sense of balance can-"

The bubbly cleric let out a brief shriek as her name echoed throughout the castle in Hector's booming bass, and fell flat on her back as the chair slipped out from underneath her.

"Nonsense, I must remember these words I speak are nonsense…" Oswin said sagely, turning back to the task at hand as Serra pushed a lock of hair out of her face, glaring up at him.

"Well if Lord Hector hadn't- ohhh! He better have a good reason for this!" she howled, leaning on her staff as she got to her feet and headed off for the source of the noise that had disrupted her concentration.

If she had been peeved when she'd set off, she was fuming by the time she reached the dungeons. What could he possibly need her for that he'd drag her all the way down here for? She slammed the door as she entered the room, bathing its occupants with her scathing glare.

"What is it," she asked sweetly, her expression quite the opposite of her tone.

Hector's eyes flashed as he met her glare with his own, "Heal this. Now."

"Heal what-eek!" she screamed, the morph in the corner finally catching her eye, "Hector, that's a morph!"

Hectors focus was momentarily lost as he stared at her blankly.

"Yes Serra…" he said slowly, "I thought Oswin informed you about what's been going on lately."

"That wasn't a joke?" she wailed, looking from the morph to Hector and back again.

"No," he said, his tone becoming more serious, "It is not. Now heal it."

"Why?" she asked, a puzzled expression pushing the last traces of annoyance from her features.

Hector let out a gusty sigh, "Just do it."

"Hector, I'm not moving until you tell me what is going on," she countered, crossing her arms as she looked straight up at him.

"Serra, just do it and get out!" Hector shouted, pointing towards the open door as he spoke.

The cleric stopped, mouth wide open, and looked down at the morph.

"Do it," it repeated in hushed tones, "It matters little. He'll go too far eventually."

Serra's mouth opened further as she realized what was going on.

"Hector! Have you been beating him?" she wailed.

"It has no gender Serra," Hector said, hoping to distract the healer from her current revelation.

"That's not the point, you know I hate violence," she said, placing both hands on her hips as she looked up at Hector indignantly.

"Serra," Hector said, the frustration seeping into his tone as he spoke, "You need to stop trying to think things through on your own and just do what I tell you!"

Serra opened and closed her mouth several times before she finally spun around headed for the door. A few moments later she marched back in, much to Hector's surprise, and knelt next to the morph, healing it before silently leaving the room once again.

"That girl will always confuse me," he muttered as she disappeared around the corner.

"She's not that hard to understand."

Hector turned and found Lyn standing in the door.

"How long have you been there? And for the record, she is not easy to understand," he countered.

"Longer than you'd probably like," she answered, "And Serra is simply a person who has seen too much violence in her time."

"Well she deals with it well," Hector mused, thinking back to all the whacks on the head he had received from the girl who hated conflict.

"She has to, just like the rest of us," Lyn replied, looking over at the morph that still lay in the corner, "Except for you. He isn't going to talk Hector, and I'm starting to worry about you. You spend all day down here."

"And I will, until this thing tells me what it was looking for in my castle," Hector answered, gesturing towards the morph.

Lyn sighed, bringing one hand to her husband's face, "This isn't right."

Hector's jaw moved back and forth as he ground his teeth together, "What else am I supposed to do?"

"Wait," Lyn replied, "And trust in Ike and Matthew."

"I can't just sit around doing nothing," Hector growled, staying his fist as he fought the urge to beat the wooden table once again.

Lyn despaired at the frustration in his voice; for men like her husband it was either do or die. Hector would never run from anything, leaving him to clash with everything that opposed him. However, this enemy was not one that could be fought, not now.

"You won't be doing nothing, we don't need him to guess at what he was looking for," she said, leading him from the room, "Now let's go Hector, I think you've paled a few shades since coming down here. You need to get outside. Besides, there's someone waiting for you."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hector squinted as he made his way out of the castle and into the sunlight, maybe he had been down in the dungeons for too long.

"Well?" he asked, shielding his eyes as he looked into the setting sun, "Where is this guy?"

"This guy? I'm hurt you would refer to me so flippantly Hector."

Hector whirled around to find Lyn with both hands over her mouth as she tried not to laugh, Guy standing next to her, a broad smile on his features.

"Guy! When did you get here?" Hector asked, looking at both Sacaens.

"Yesterday, but you were occupied with other matters, so I waited for a while. I would have waited longer too, but Lyn thought it time for you to emerge for some sunshine," Guy answered, taking a step closer and examining Hector pale skin, "And I would say she was right."

"Oh lay off, I wasn't down there that long," Hector said, swatting Guy's hand away impatiently.

"Maybe not," Guy replied, his tone serious now, "but I hear your work really takes it out of you. Care to fill me in?"

"Sure, I wish I didn't have to though," Hector said grudgingly, leading them back into the castle.

"None of us do, but despite that you know we're in this together. Anything that has to do with Nergal links those of us who were there for it, whether we like it or not," Guy said.

"Mm…"Hector said, opting to leave Nergal out of the discussion. He turned and made his way back into the castle.

"Yes, I feel the same, but will you please explain what has been going on? Lyn told me Ephidel is back," Guy pressed.

"What's to explain? He's bent on revenge and since Nergal is dead all that's left is us. We've been seeing morphs for about a month or so, we even have one locked up in the dungeons," Hector said.

Guy nodded, "So I heard. How is that going?"

"Terrible. The blasted thing won't say anything useful," Hector said, frowning at the thought.

Guy shrugged, "Did you expect it to?"

"…no. But I had to do something, I'm no good at sitting around," Hector answered.

"I know. But now that I'm here, hopefully you'll be occupied long enough for…Ike, is it, to finish whatever he's doing," Guy said, "In the meantime though, why don't you tell me what's been going on since I saw you last. It's been what? Three years?"

"Something like that," Hector agreed.

"Well?" Guy continued, looking at the lord expectantly.

"You really want to know? I'm no good at stories," Hector said, rather daunted by the idea of recounting the last three years.

"If it keeps you busy, then yes, do tell," Guy replied, taking a seat as the three entered Hector's study.

The lord sighed and took a seat as well; they were in for a late night.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Chains rattled as the morph lifted its head, listening to the sudden commotion outside its holding cell. One of the guards began to shout when he was cut off, his voice fading into an odd gurgle. A moment later the door opened, a figure in the doorway.

"Did you find what you were sent for?" it asked flatly, its tones clearly marking it as male.

When the morph remained silent, the man stepped forward, his features taking on some semblance of a morph as the torchlight revealed whitened skin, whether from lack of sunlight or not it was impossible to tell. His eyes, however, remained hidden in the shadows.

"Let me make this clear," he said, "I'm going to kill you either way, you've been compromised as far as Ephidel is concerned. He would be pleased, however, if you would present him with what you were sent for as a parting gift."

The morph still did not speak, and silence prevailed as he considered the man's words. He knew of Ephidel, his tone and skin clearly marked him as a morph, but there was something…something he didn't like.

"Why do you refer to it as 'that which I was sent for'? If you know of Lord Ephidel, then you-"

He was cut off as the man stepped into the shadows before appearing at his side, driving a silver dagger into his chest and pulling violently downward, rending the morph's chest in two.

"Have you found the resting place of the great axe Armads?" he asked, his monotone droning on, unwavering as he posed the question.

The morph's head hung low as he answered, his breathing shallow, "No. I was found out before I could discover its location."

Nothing more was said as the morph felt a blade tip delicately placed against his temple before fading into black. He had failed his master.

The man discarded the morph's clothing as soon as it was gone, burning them with one of the torches resting in its brazier. He froze as the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway and then withdrew to the darkest corner of the cell. He watched silently as a young, pink haired woman came to a stop at the fallen guards, staring for a moment before letting out a shriek.

It was quickly cut off though, as the man made a lunge for her, jabbing two fingers into the side of her neck before laying her down next to the unconscious guards. He looked up and down the hallway, dashing away from the sound of running feet headed towards him; he couldn't get caught at the moment.

As he rounded a corner a large knight in orange armor stepped out in front of him, his lance head whistling as it passed inches from his ear.

"Give it up," the knight said, "I've got more behind me and there's five coming from the other direction."

The man's response was to turn around and head back where he'd come from, dashing down the hallway, all attempts at stealth abandoned. He leapt into the air as Hector, Lyn, Guy, and two guards rounded the far corner, dodging the spear he knew would be immediately thrown his direction. As the distance between them closed Lyn and Guy drew their swords, pulling out in front of Hector as they neared the intruder. As they struck he leapt into the air once again, sliding horizontally between their blades and rolling past Hector as he got to his feet. He didn't glance over his shoulder as he booked for the open door, he was in the clear. He heard Hector cursing as he slowed his flight, opting to skulk in the shadows once again as a group of guards ran by his position.

As they moved out of earshot he stepped away from the wall he had his back to and eyed a high window. It would be a stretch, but if he could reach it escaping would get a whole lot easier. He wedged a knife into the wall at shoulder height and took a few steps back before leaping into the air, dislodging the knife as he used it to jump a second time and haul himself onto the wide window sill. He jumped quietly to the ground and headed for the main gates, easily navigating past the still oblivious gate guardsmen.

He sighed as he reached the comfort of the forest's edge, slipping into the inky darkness that its undergrowth provided. He paused however, his hand going to his shoulder. The moon was just beginning to rise in the night sky, and as he brought his hand out on front of him he could see his fingers were stained a dark red in the pale moonlight. One of the Sacaens had gotten him. He shrugged and wiped the hand on his pant leg, turning away from the castle and heading deeper into the woods. It mattered little; the great axe Armads was still safe.

**The plot thickens, and we've added Guy to the mix! As I mentioned previously, this chapter was a bit short, but I felt the end was at hand so I kept it that way. I would love to hear what you thought, so click that little 'Go' button in the lower left of the screen, I promise to thank you profusely. At that, I'll see you all next update.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hmm...I'm hoping this chapter will make up for the last one's shortness. I know all of you lovely reviewers, for the most part, said it was good, but I have something against short chapters. At least when I write them. Moving on, one of my anonymous reviewers has a sense of humor! Well, I never said WHEN I would thank you profusely, so...thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you. There. One thank you for each letter in the word 'profusely'. Last up, I would just like to say that while these chapters are being split up between groups, they aren't necessarily linear. They very well could be happening at the same time. I'm done talking now, so enjoy chapter thirteen of ToaHaHD! **

Ike looked around the room with an appraising eye as the guard led them in. Mercenaries lounged about, conversing with one another as they sat in chairs at small, round tables. The lighting was dim, but enough to see that everyone there deserved it. They ranged from mangy to almost noble in stature, but it was clear they were the best.

"The king sends his apologies for not being able to grant you an audience," the guard said, "but he his rather busy at the moment. Zephiel, the crown prince, has been missing for the last week-we fear him dead."

"That's perfectly understandable," Ike said, "I'm sure he has more important things to do that meet with mercenaries.

"On the contrary, he's quite interested in this group," the guard said, "and I'm sure he will be willing to meet with you when this all calms down. For now just stay in here, someone will be in later to show you to your…personal quarters.

He paused at the word personal, not quite sure what to call a room that would be shared by seven people, not that any of them seemed to mind. They had objected quite forcefully when he'd suggested splitting them up. He shrugged as he closed the door and headed back to his post; they'd end up at each other's throats, fighting for the peerage like every other mercenary to walk through those doors.

"So…" Mia said, looking around the room. No one seemed to pay them any mind.

"What now?" Mist asked, finishing the question.

"We wait, obviously," Soren answered, taking a seat around an empty table.

"I hate waiting," Mia grumbled as she pulled up a chair, "It's so boring. Hey boss, wanna-"

"No," Ike said, interrupting her mid-sentence.

"You didn't even let me finish," Mia said, glowering at Ike across the table.

"He didn't have to," Soren replied, "He knew what you wanted, we all did. Dueling _here_ would not be wise."

Mia sighed and looked over her shoulder. Soren was right; showing her style off here would only give them a leg up when it came time to fight. Her interest however, was soon taken with something else. There was a man in the corner of the room. Unlike the other mercenaries, he was not chatting around a table, but sitting on the ground in the darkest corner of the room, at the single spot where it seemed every shadow coalesced, making it all but impossible to see him. She casually looked away as his eyes met her own, turning around to face the others.

"Hey, what d'you make of the creeper in the corner?" she asked, not bothering to point him out.

"I've had my eye on him since we entered the room," Nasir answered quietly, "He seems different."

"Nasir, what's that even supposed to mean?" Mist asked, cocking her eyebrow at the needlessly cryptic comment.

"It means we have to watch him," Soren said, absentmindedly thumbing through his fimbulvetr tome.

Before anyone else could reply, another guard entered the room.

"Alucard?" he said, looking around the room.

The man in the corner rose and went to the door, his eyes fixed on the guard calling him; though Mia swore she saw him look at her as he passed.

"Yes?" he asked of the guard when he'd reached the comparatively smaller man waiting for him in the doorway.

"Your first round has arrived," he said, undaunted by the fact that he had to look up into the man's eyes, "Follow me.

Without another word the two left, the door seeming to slam in the now silent room. The silence was broken as two of the other mercenaries went back to conversing, and Mia almost laughed, "Did you see that guard? Poor guy had to look straight up at him.

"Yes," Soren answered, "That guard was rather short though. And did you notice the man who led us here? He was also smaller than I would have imagined a guard to be.

"So what? Bern's got short guards," Ike said, not seeing any relevance to this current discussion.

"Bern is supposed to be the military force in Elibe," Soren answered, "I find it odd that none of their guards seem up to the job.

Behind them, another mercenary began to laugh as he leaned over and joined in on the conversation, "Yeah, I noticed that too! Makes you wonder where they're keeping all their legendary soldiers, eh?"

"Not really," Soren said flatly, "We couldn't care less. It doesn't change what we're here for."

The man let out another booming laugh, "Well said, boy, but do you even know what you're here for?"

"The peerage, of course," Soren answered.

"No," he countered, his smile widening, laugh lines showing around his eyes, "you're here to die, most likely by the hand of that man who just left."

"Die?" Soren said, "Is that what you think?"

"It is, and I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but if it ain't that brute, it'll be me," he said, smiling all the while.

"You seem…"

"Confident?" the man interrupted before Soren could finish, "Well that's because I am. Don't worry, you'll see soon enough. But seriously, watch out for that one."

Arrogant had been the word Soren was going to use, but he let it slide-if only for the moment. He would have to remember this man's face.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because, he's been here for two weeks-which isn't all that long-but he's already made it to the first of the death matches, and that says something for him," the man answered.

"Death matches, meaning we have to go through mock duels first?" Soren questioned.

The man smirked, "Listen to you! You take this pretty seriously don't you? But yes, in the first several duels killing is not allowed. They're simply supposed to give the king an idea of who's supposed to be here at all and who's not. Eventually it all comes down to the last man standing though."

"Presumably this Alucard," Soren said, watching the man carefully. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards as the man gave a start.

"What? Of course not…no, of course not…watch your mouth kid."

He turned around in his seat and continued talking to the men at his own table. Ike laughed, "Soren, we've been here five minutes and you've already made a friend."

"He needed to be knocked down a few pegs," Soren said.

"Arrogance is an ugly thing in a soldier, it is what lets you know who you really have to watch out for," Lethe added.

"I'm not saying I didn't think it needed to be done," Ike said, "and you're right Lethe. The one we really need to keep an eye on is that man, Alucard."

As he spoke, the door opened and Alucard stepped in. He sighed and closed his eyes, running his hand through his long hair as he swept it away from his face before closing the door. His attitude reeked of disappointment.

"That was fast," Mist whispered to Nasir.

"That's what Ike was talking about," he replied, "We need to-"

He stopped talking as Alucard halted at his side, his brow knitted together as he seemed to be in deep thought, his gaze straight ahead.

After a moment, he spoke. His words came haltingly, as if he was considering each one before allowing it to be spoken, "You remind me of someone I once knew."

Nasir's eyebrows shot up, but he said nothing, and the man walked away, taking up his spot once again in the corner of the room

"That was odd," Nasir said, looking at his friends in puzzlement.

"Yes, that definitely was," Mist agreed.

"No really…I don't know what to think of that," Nasir said, his brow furrowing.

Before anymore could be said the door opened once again; two guards with lances in hand stood in the doorway this time.

"The duels for today are finished," one said, "you may all return to your quarters."

The other one stepped in and gestured to Ike's group, "You, I'll be escorting you to your quarters. Follow me."

The mercenaries filed out slowly, still talking amongst themselves; apparently this was the normal routine. Ike followed the man down the hall and to the right before coming to a stop outside of a small, wooden door.

"This is where you'll stay; it can't be locked from either side. You'll be called if you're needed," the man said before turning and walking off, his mind clearly on other matters.

"They have a strange way of doing things around here," Skrimir said as the group opened the door and entered the relatively small room.

"Yes, it is a little odd," Nasir agreed, "but they did say the prince just went missing…perhaps things aren't as they should be."

Soren shook his head, "I doubt it. You'll notice they said the king was busy, not upset, worried, or something else you'd expect. There's something going on, which is no less than what we expected."

"I think that's assuming too much Soren, busy doesn't mean he's not worried," Mist said.

"Oh yes it does."

Their heads turned to see Alucard standing in the doorway. He stood lightly, taking in the scene in front of him, his hand resting idly on the red sword at his side.

Lethe whispered quietly, "…he smells of blood. Too much."

"Is there something you want?" Ike asked, turning to face the man.

"Yes…I wish to speak with you," he answered, looking directly at Nasir.

"About what?" Nasir asked.

"Dragons," he answered, gauging their reaction. All remained calm, with the exception of Mist, who started slightly.

"What about them?" Nasir asked, "They haven't been seen in millennia."

The man took a step forward and closed the door behind him, "Not true, I'm looking at one right now. You're the third I've met in three years.

He quickly found himself surrounded by the armed occupants of the room, with Skrimir standing behind him, blocking his only exit.

"What makes you say that?" Nasir asked, cocking his head to one side as he scrutinized the man's face.

"You remind me of the other two," he answered, not missing a beat, "Ninian…Nils…Nasir. Do ice dragons have an affinity for names beginning with 'N'?"

He almost smiled; this got a reaction, the mercenaries surrounding him lowered their weapons. The tall, blue haired man stepped forward.

"I'd like to know what's going on," he said, his tone making it clear that what he wanted was not up for discussion.

"And you will, as soon as you tell me how you know Ninian," Alucard replied.

"We're old friends," Nasir said, bluffing like a pro.

"I see," he said, "Then seeing as she is an old friend of mine as well, let me introduce myself. My name is-"

"Alucard, we know," Mia said before he could finish.

His hint of a smile disappeared as his eyes flashed in her direction, "No…no, my name is Karel. Guard it well."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Matthew took a moment to rest against a tree, his feet were aching. Spying seemed like dangerous and exciting work to anyone who wasn't one, but besides the occasional stint of action it was mostly a lot of walking. Having no horse didn't help either.

He'd been traveling for two weeks, hitting all the locations only an idiot would pass on, despite the fact that Ephidel himself would have to be an idiot to run his operations from any one of them. This meant Matthew had revisited the Black Fang fortress, the Nabata desert…isle Valor. He had lingered at this location for days on end, if not for the fact that this was where it all started then perhaps because it was where he had lost her. He could still see her, propped up like some demented scarecrow. He hated this place, and yet, he couldn't stay away. One of her altars had been built here.

However, when it was all said and done, he was where he knew he'd end up all along; Bern. He'd saved this one for last though, as it held the most promise. If he was right he might even end up running into Ike's party. It had been easy crossing the border under the cover of night, but now that he was in, he was left without a single lead. He was used to that though, so he did what came naturally; hit the pubs. It took relatively little time, and gold, for him to garner a massive list of rumors and 'secrets' about everything from King Desmond's wardrobe to Princess Guinevere's first word. It had been 'Zephiel'. However, it was the rumors about said Prince Zephiel that piqued his curiosity. They were the darkest, and the hardest to procure. Apparently he had been missing for the last week after going out on a hunting party with two friends. Rumor was that he was dead, but it had been fervently denied by any and all occupants of the palace.

Matthew had ended his search here, although he did not quite know why. Thief's intuition he supposed, but either way Zephiel was an important subject. He had met the boy briefly three years ago, making him about fifteen now. He had been, for lack of a better word, perfect when they had met, and Matthew hated the idea of anything befalling the young prince. He was the hope for all of Bern.

After a night at the inn and a few more gold pieces Matthew had obtained the Prince's last known location 'more or less,' to put it as the barkeep had. Sketchy, but that was what spies thrived on. He had set off that afternoon, headed for the royal forests. Five hours later Matthew had reached his destination, once again without any leads. He had, though, found out what made the forests royal. It was the fact that King Desmond expended the effort to have them patrolled by guards, and nothing else. It was quite stupid actually. Then again, royal families often were. He sighed and got to his feet, thanking Elimine that Ostia had Lyn to counter Lord Hector's idiocy.

Just as he was about to set off into the woods once more he paused, hearing voices of what seemed to be two men headed in his direction. He quickly shimmied up the nearest tree, hiding amongst the branches. After a few minutes the voices grew louder and he saw two guards walking towards him through the undergrowth.

"So then he says to me, he says, 'I'm tired of your cavalier attitude!' and I look at him and says, 'Well what other attitude should I have?"

At this the other man burst out laughing, "'Cause you're a cavalier! Haha!"

He smacked his partner on the back and the two continued to laugh uproariously as they disappeared into the bushes once again. Matthew rolled his eyes and dropped from the tree, "Idiots…"

Even so, he knew he would end up telling that one to Sain. He brushed his cloak off and looked around. From his previous height he'd been able to see the layout of the forest, and after a moment's consideration he headed west. It took about an hour of walking through the forest for anything to happen though, and what happened was nothing. It took Matthew about five minutes to realize it, but everything was completely silent. Nothing stirred, which was never a good thing. He looked behind him trying to get his bearings. He was hours away from the nearest town and who knew in which direction. If he ran into trouble now…his head snapped back around as a trumpeting horn broke the stillness. It was coming from in front of him. For a split second Matthew wasn't sure if he should run towards the noise or away from it, but he quickly found himself bounding through the woods in the direction it had come from. As he ran he couldn't help but notice it had yet to sound again.

Time dragged on, and his mind began to race as fast as his heart when he looked up at the sun and realized he could tell it had moved. How long had he been running? He shoved the thought aside as the sound of steel on steel reached his ears. He stopped as he reached the edge of the tree line, something he hadn't seen in hours, and found himself staring at the most utterly confusing thing he'd seen since he'd found a morph in Hector's bedroom.

Before him were about fifty yards of bare earth, leading up to a sudden drop-off. He could hear a river running, presumably at its base. What stunned him though wasn't the cliff, but Prince Zephiel, perched precariously at its edge as he fended off the attacks of what appeared to be his own guards. His face was twisted into a snarl as he disarmed a man and lunged, running him through before turning to defend against the next attacker. His shoulder was bleeding heavily, and in his left hand he held a horn. Stray armor was strewn across the ground, with no sign of the soldiers who had worn it.

Morphs.

Matthew fought the urge to jump in and help the young prince; he would be in deep trouble on the off chance Zephiel recognized him. However, he found it impossible to wait in the shadows as Zephiel's heels reached the edge of the precipice, causing him to glance over his shoulder before turning his attention back to the lances that doggedly pursued a lapse in his defense. Matthew's hand went to his collar, pulling the cloth up and over his face before pulling his hood low over his eyes.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zephiel's arm felt like lead as he parried another blow and lashed out, his strike sliding off the man's armored shoulder. This was too much.

Go on a hunting party? What had he been thinking, Murdock had told him it was a bad idea. He sidestepped as a lance-head whistled by before pivoting forward, driving his sword through the man's face. He didn't bother watching as the soldier fell silently to the earth and slowly disappeared, leaving only his armor behind. He had long since stopped finding it odd, and besides, it was beginning to seem familiar.

He dropped to one knee, sticking the nearest leg he could find before rolling to his right. The maneuver was to no avail, as it got him no farther from the cliff's edge, but at least it made him a moving target. Zephiel staggered as he got to his feet, his legs were begging him to let them buckle, to give up. His mind strayed, running through the conversation he'd had with his father before he'd left.

"_A hunting party?"_

"_Yes, every young man should go on a hunting party at one point or another."_

_Zephiel paused. His father had never referred to him as anything more than a boy._

"_When?"_

_His father had laughed, "Whenever you like. How about in two days? You can go with Howell and Kade."_

_After a moment, Zephiel had agreed. If it would please his father he would do it. Two days later the trio had left with bows, swords, and horns at their sides. Everything had been planned out, it would be fine. Maybe even fun._

That had been a week ago. Howell and Kade-two of his sparring partners from noble families-were both dead. All he had left was Kade's horn, and that wasn't doing him much good. They were supposed to be gone for three days, meaning they had been officially missing for four. A grim smile began to form as he realized he was never getting back. This was hopeless. He would never see Murdock, never see his mother…never see Guinevere. His features contorted as this final thought came to him. He would never see his sister again, and it was all his fault. He hadn't been strong enough, not strong enough to protect either members of his party, or himself in the end.

His smile twisted into a leer as a lance pierced his right thigh; that had been how he'd used to think. Now though, he was done lying to himself. He could feel it, the hatred for his father, burning behind the wall of excuses he'd made for that pathetic man over the years. He knew the truth and the men in front of him confirmed it. Desmond had sent them, there was no denying it. He should have killed the old man while he still had the chance. He should have-

Zephiel's thoughts came to a halt as a blade sprouted from the nearest man's chest. Before the others could do anything about it, they too were on the ground, unable to finish the appointed task that only a moment ago had been in their grasp. Zephiel's sword stayed level as the last man fell, revealing a figure, its features obscured by a heavy cloak. For all he knew, this was just another assassin.

"Who are you?" he asked, his sword tip moving in small circles as he braced for a lunge.

"A search party," Matthew answered, a bit taken back by Zephiel's appearance. This Zephiel was not the boy he had met three years earlier. This Zephiel was darker, harder; his eyes spoke of doubt and betrayal.

"A search party?" Zephiel repeated, his face scornful, "You expect me to believe my father mounted a search for me?"

"Hard to believe, right?" Matthew answered, "But I need to know, how long have you been running from those men?"

Zephiel was thrown by the man's dismissive attitude. Was he telling the truth?

"They attacked us on the second day," he answered warily, "Howell died then. Kade was wounded, but he managed to survive up until yesterday."

Five days? Matthew frowned behind his mask. He was no search party, and it looked like King Desmond certainly hadn't planned on sending one.

"You'd better get back to the castle then, five days is a long time to be on the run. Besides, everyone's in panic over you," he said, "Let's go. I assume you know where you are, it was getting back that was the problem?"

"In a panic? Over me? I doubt that," Zephiel said skeptically. Murdock, his mother, and Guinevere would be worried about him. No one else. He continued, "Besides, I can't go yet."

"I'll bring back Kade and Howell," Matthew answered, "Just go."

Zephiel couldn't believe he was even listening to this man, but there was something about him that seemed familiar, something that said he could be trusted.

"…fine. Leave them by the main gate at midnight tonight, I'll have someone there to pick them up," he answered. He had hardly known the two, but leaving them to rot would weigh heavily on his conscience.

With that he sheathed his sword and headed off into the trees, his hatred for his father momentarily buried under his overwhelming feelings of relief. Who cared if his father was disappointed with him? He was returning home.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Ike leaned on the window sill, gazing out over the moonlit castle grounds. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled. Lethe and Skrimir were both asleep on the floor, curled up as he had often seen them during the wars in Tellius. Mist and Mia occupied the only bed in the room, and Nasir had fallen asleep with his back against the wall opposite the door. Soren was sitting in a chair at the table in a pose Ike knew well. His eyes were half closed as he seemed to be enthralled by the book on the table in front of him. He was awake, but not really. If he remained undisturbed throughout the night he would stir at sunrise; his body didn't seem to need the deep sleep so many could not do without. The candle next to him burned low, casting a dim light across the room.

Ike turned away and looked down upon the courtyard, his eyes moving to the main gate and out to the road that stretched beyond it to the rest of the capital. A single figure was slowly coming down the road, its purposeful stride telling anyone who bothered to watch that it didn't care who noticed. Ike looked on as it reached the gate and was confronted by two guards, who immediately stood down after they had spoken with it. Ike could only assume it was someone from the royal family, perhaps the missing prince? It would certainly be an odd time to return.

His thoughts drifted elsewhere as he recalled their earlier conversation with Karel. The man was a presence to be sure, and he definitely knew what was going on, or at least had a good idea. He had come two weeks ago, just as the mercenary had said, and the tale he'd told them had been a sad one of lies and deception dealing with Bern's royal family. Zephiel, the crown prince, was shunned and despised by his father Desmond. That was common knowledge, but Karel had proceeded to reveal that lately the king had changed. He had begun speaking with Zephiel more often, giving him advice, spending time with him. This wasn't good, according to Karel, because up until these recent events the king had only shown contempt for his son, who excelled in all areas he himself was found to be lacking. Ike had agreed. The situation held disturbing potential to end up as another royal family had, one that was also fraught with hatred and betrayal. Kind Ashnard's family had a bloody history; hopefully Zephiel's would not take the same turns.

Ike sighed and sank to the floor next to Nasir. It was much too late for his mind to be racing with such thoughts. Besides, from all he had heard thus far Zephiel was the picture of a perfect ruler, a man fitting to take over the throne of one of the most powerful countries in Elibe. For now, he would believe it.

**So how was it? I hope it was worth the wait, and I have to ask that you please bear with me as the updates seem to be getting farther apart. At this point in the story I'm really trying to make sure I keep this all as canon as possible, which as you who write know, is hard when things get complicated. I almost made a serious mistake with this chapter...but I got it. Unless there's something else I missed, in which case I hope you'd tell me. And yes, that's an invitation to tell me what I did wrong. I just hope you'll mention a few things I did right as well. Unless there were none. Wow what a horrible chapter that would be...but I'm talking too much. Please drop me a review if you have the time. If not, see you next update!**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	14. Chapter 14

**"Ah," I'm sure you are saying, "Here is what we were waiting for!" At least, that's what I _hope_ you're saying. Sorry this took so long, school got to me, and besides that I managed to get writer's block in the middle of the chapter. Honestly, who gets writer's block mid-chapter? I thought I was supposed to have these planned out. But anyway, here I am, and here's chapter fourteen.**

Laughter drifted through the window, coming from the courtyard below as two soldiers discussed the day's sparring matches. Sain frowned and turned away at the sound, choosing to seat himself on the edge of the bed and stare blankly ahead of him at the locked door. He could hear voices outside.

"He what?"

"He's locked himself in. He won't let me heal him."

"Sain!" Kent shouted, his voice coming clearly through the solid wooden door, "Open up! You're being ridiculous!"

Sain's hand went to the bandage wrapped around his head. No, for the first time in his life he was _not_ being ridiculous.

"Sain, let Priscilla in and then we can go to the funeral. Nino wants you there," Kent continued.

Sain tuned his friend out and lay down on the bed; there was no point in attending a funeral with an empty casket. Besides, he doubted Nino wanted him there. He'd seen her this morning, in frenzied hysterics as Eliwood had carried her, kicking and screaming, back up the western tower. She had begged Jaffar not to, insisting that there was a glimmer of hope left for their child. He had ignored her, and pragmatism won the day. Jaffar had left the castle grounds, his silent daughter in his arms, and returned an hour later alone. Now it was mid-afternoon and Nino was still locked away in her room.

Sain turned his face to the wall. It had been two days since the intrusion, and sorrow still hung like a thick fog over the castle grounds. He went over the events for the thousandth time since his self-sentenced confinement. He had been standing guard outside her door, thoughts of Rebecca playing through his head, as well as a few other unmentionables. At least, unmentionable in front of Rebecca; appreciating beauty was so much more dangerous now that he was married. He'd been broken out of his reverie by something in the shadows, and a second later his lance was simply gone, snatched right out of his hands. He'd gone for the sword at his side only to get slashed across the forehead by his own weapon. He'd hit the ground, a morph stepping out of the darkness just as the tunnel vision set in. He'd gone down in one shot.

Sain had heard the rest of the story from Jaffar, who seemed to be the only lucid one in this whole disgusting mess. Jaffar had added Nino's room to his list of perimeter check points, and arrived a few minutes after the morph had entered. She had been on the floor, pressed against the wall with Sain's lance at her neck. Jaffar had assumed she was the only target; only realizing what had happened to his daughter after he had killed the morph. Nino had refused to let him near the crib though, keeping him close. He'd later told Sain he didn't need to see Leila that night, he knew what had happened. The others had arrived a few minutes later.

It had been two days since then. Two days that Eliwood had suggested they give Nino to come to the same conclusion they had, but she hadn't. It had only given her time to solidify her belief that there was hope for Leila, that she could somehow be changed back. In the end, it had only driven a wedge between herself and Jaffar. She had refused to speak to him after his return a few hours ago and remained in her room, despite the funeral that had been set for the coming evening. Sain's attention was pulled back into the present as Kent bellowed through the door once again.

"Sain! I order you out of that room immediately! You know what happened wasn't your fault, let Priscilla heal you. Feeling sorry for yourself doesn't become you."

"I'm hardly feeling sorry for myself Kent; I'm feeling sorry for Nino. Have you seen the poor girl? She's a wreck," he answered.

Kent sighed, "Sain, you told me yourself you were having an off day. Let it go."

"An off day, Kent? Knights don't have off days," Sain countered, "I know you're not used to it, but I'm telling you I need some time to think this through."

He heard Kent's voice catch as he stopped himself from speaking further. A moment later, Priscilla's light, cascading soprano tones came through the door.

"He's gone Sain. Please let me in, your forehead needs to be healed."

"No Priscilla, I'll be fine. Just go, you'll miss the funeral."

"…Sain."

With that she was gone, her worry conveyed more adequately in that one word than a thousand others.

Sain sighed. Finally, he was alone. He wanted to think about what happened, as if that wasn't what he'd been doing for the past two days. His rolled over on his back, staring at the ceiling. This wasn't like him at all. Usually he could laugh his mistakes off, why was this so penetrating? He sat up, the answer in his mind before he even asked the question. It was because it forced him to face the truth about himself. He wasn't a bad knight, but he wasn't a good one either. In fact, he very much doubted that he deserved his title. He had skill…he had proven that three years ago. But where had it all gone?

He leapt off the bed and strode to the window, once again looking down into the courtyard. Suddenly, a roguish smile caught a hold of his lips, despite the situation. He mulled it over; Kent would kill him, that was for sure, but he'd never let that stop him before. His smile shrank as another thought entered his mind; if he was going to do this he would have to do it soon. Lord Athos' foresight left him with little doubt that his window of opportunity was closing fast.

Sain turned from the window and went to his desk. He picked up a quill, examining its soft edges, his expression pensive. Yes, he would do it.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ike watched from the window, looking down into a secluded courtyard. Behind him were Mia, Soren, and Karel—who had brought them to his room only a few moments before. Apparently it was the only room with a view of this courtyard, besides those of the royal family.

"What are we looking at?" Ike asked, thoroughly unimpressed with the bed of flowers he'd taken to staring at.

"Nothing at the moment, but give him some time. He just returned last night," Karel replied.

Ike was about to continue, but the sound of a door opening caused him to stop. The foursome watched as Zephiel entered the courtyard, followed by a knight.

"Murdock, Zephiel's caretaker, and one of his only confidants," Karel said, nodding towards the knight, who wore no helm, revealing a stoic face topped with close cropped blonde hair. Every move he made spoke of quiet efficiency, but it was not Murdock that caught Ike's eye.

It was Zephiel. The young man's purposeful gait, his eyes always forward, never faltering; he needed no introduction. His very presence spoke of authority. He stopped, turning to his companion, and drew a rapier, casting the sheath aside. Murdock leveled his lance and spread his legs wide, planting his feet firmly on the ground. Zephiel's rapier playing in circles as he swayed slightly, the tension mounting between the two until Murdock moved forward, his lance head moving with a speed that Ike had only seen once before. With a strike reminiscent of Zelgius, the spar was on.

Zephiel stopped his slight swaying and took a half step back, the lance head plunging into air in front of him and withdrawing just as fast. The prince followed it in, his sword arm a blur as he lunged for the opening at Murdock's shoulder. The older man reacted quickly, moving forward instead of back, causing Zephiel's strike to land early on his well armored chest, the nimble rapier flexing under the stress. Zephiel leapt back, allowing the rapier to snap out, aiding him in his retreat, and pivoted as another near blow clipped the edge of his tunic.

Ike watched more intently as the battle raged on. Power and grace were the words to describe it as Zephiel fancifully dodged blow after blow before counter striking with calculated fury. Murdock held up well, but as the strategies Zephiel employed became more and more complex he began to falter, no longer coming up with creative answers to Zephiel's challenges. Eventually he found himself with his back against the wall, his options limited. He took a small step forward, holding his lance flush against his arm and across his back so its head was over his left shoulder, and then lunged out with his shoulder towards Zephiel's rapier.

The sword flexed once again as the two collided, and Murdock brought his lance out, swiping it horizontally towards Zephiel's elusive form. As the lance neared the prince leaned away and then threw his body towards it, turning his momentum into a midair cartwheel and flipping his body over the lance. He stood erect as he landed, flicking his wrist up, his rapier tip resting gently on Murdock's neck. The knight eyed it, and began to move before Zephiel pressed slightly, forcing him off balance as a single drop of blood blossomed at the sword's tip. Zephiel jumped forward and struck Murdock soundly with the hilt guard, knocking him to the ground.

Zephiel sighed and stuck his sword into the earth, helping his friend to his feet.

"Good," Murdock said, grasping his hand, "no hesitation. I thought you were going to let me go at the end there."

"Never," Zephiel answered, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "and don't you mean you were _hoping_ I'd let you go?"

Murdock frowned, "Yes…I haven't won since last summer."

He directed an accusing glance down at his weapon, as if it were somehow the cause of his losses.

"It's to be expected," Zephiel said, his voice growing faint as he disappeared behind a section of the main castle, "You _are_ getting older."

"Yes, but I think I should still be able to handle my fifteen-year-old ward in mock combat," Murdock replied morosely.

"Not really," Zephiel said, coming into view once again, a long sword at his side, "You trained me. It had to happen eventually."

"Yes…" Murdock said, trailing off as he turned his back on Zephiel, looking up at the blue sky, unhampered by clouds, "I suppose it's time…"

In an instant he turned, hurling a blunted throwing axe towards Zephiel, who calmly turned it aside with a flick of the wrist. He frowned, "Murdock, you were never one to resort to treachery."

The knight shrugged, "Not these days. I have to keep you on your toes, and an honorable fight just doesn't do that for you anymore. I know you were holding back. Come now, let me have it."

Zephiel didn't answer, but his frown was gone as the two clashed once again.

Ike started as Karel closed the window, drowning out the battle sounds coming from the courtyard.

"You'd better get back to your room, I believe your first match is coming up," he said, drawing the curtains as well, so that only a single candle cast a dim glow over the room's occupants.

Soren surprised everyone by speaking up, "I wasn't finished with him."

"They're there every day, there will be time to watch him again," Karel answered.

Soren made no reply, and the three headed for the door.

"Karel," Ike said, stopping in the doorframe, his back to the sword master, "why did you show this to us?"

Karel paused, thinking for a moment before answering,

"Because…things are changing; war is brewing within Bern's borders, and it's threatening to spill over into the rest of Elibe. When that time comes, do you really want to be fighting _against_ that?"

"…no," Ike answered.

Karel turned, so that he and Ike faced opposite directions, "Good, neither do I. Before it begins we need to get close to Zephiel. We will need him if this is going to end well."

Ike's brow arched, surprised by Karel's admission. He was not a man to admit something like that very often. He said nothing, and closed the door. He needed to think this over. No, he needed Soren. Ike walked quickly, overtaking the mage before they reached their own room.

"What do you think?" he said, slowing to match his friend's pace.

"I told you," Soren said, "I wasn't finished with him. I need to watch him again."

"But just from that, what do you think?" Ike pressed.

Soren's eyes narrowed, he disliked being forced into decisions without all of the information, and he'd had enough of that during the wars in Tellius.

"If I had to say, I'd compare him to Eliwood, but that's just from seeing his rapier work. Maybe Duke Renning, if you want someone more familiar. At the moment I'd be inclined to say you would win in a duel," he answered.

"Or course Ike would," Mia said with a roll of her eyes, "No one's got anything on the boss."

"That's absurd. Ike's not invincible, but he does know his limits, which separates him from nearly everyone here," Soren said.

"I know, but I still haven't found anyone who's better with a sword than the boss," Mia said.

"Not at the moment, and that probably will be the case for a long time, but he's got to be open to the possibility or it'll get him killed," Soren replied.

Ike cleared his throat, "All right you two, time to shut up before my ego explodes."

The three stopped their banter as they entered the room and found a soldier was already there waiting for them.

He turned, his gaze directed towards Ike, "You, you're the leader of this merry little band?"

"Yes, why?" Ike answered.

"Because, King Desmond wants you in the arena first, let's move it," he said, walking past Ike and out the door, waiting impatiently in the hallway.

Ike followed, the door swinging shut behind him, but his thoughts were still on the prince in the courtyard.

"The rules are simple," the guard said, starting off down the long corridor, "Incapacitate your opponent or force them to admit defeat. You will fight until you can no longer win, or until King Desmond tells you to stop."

Ike was taken aback by the final stipulation, "It's not a single match?"

"What, think you won't be able to handle it?" the man asked, a haughty grin spreading over his face. Kids these days, they all thought they had the makings of a hero.

Ike was silent and the soldier's smirk widened, but he said nothing more as they continued on. It wouldn't take long for this young upstart to get his pride handed back to him on the end of a lance. Not long at all.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Nino was catatonic, silent as she felt Jaffar's arms around her. She had fought him when he had come to take her to the funeral, but now she didn't care; her mind was elsewhere, anywhere. It had been a small gathering, only including those who had been there two nights previous as well as a few others. That hadn't mattered to Nino though. As soon as Jaffar had made it clear he was taking her whether she liked it or not she had shut down. Now the funeral had passed and she was once again in her room. Jaffar held her in his arms, resting in a chair by the open window, caught in a rare moment unawares.

"Where is she…" Nino whispered, her tone confused and her eyes remaining on the wide expanse of sky, stretched out before them.

Jaffar was silent. She had been talking to herself since he had taken her to the funeral, and he found responding to her questions didn't help. She would realize where she was. He looked over his shoulder as Eliwood entered the room.

"Jaffar…" he started slowly, "I don't want you on duty for the next few days…and I mean it. Nino's going to need you through this, even if she doesn't want you."

"I know..." Jaffar answered, letting it stand at that. He lived for his work in Eliwood's service, but not now. Now he was a husband…a father too, even if he didn't feel like one.

Eliwood nodded and turned to go. He had another wayward soul to visit before this day could finally draw to a close. He descended the winding stairs before heading for the castle's east wing. He made his way to Sain's room to find Kent already there, silently sitting outside his friend's quarters.

"Has he said anything?" Eliwood asked.

"No," he answered, "and it's ridiculous. Sain's never been like this."

Eliwood sighed, pausing for a moment before speaking, "You're right, but have you ever thought that maybe it's good for him? He's finally trying to do what you've been telling him to do for years; become a knight worthy of the title."

"Yes, but I never imagined it would happen like this," Kent said, bending forward to rest his head in his hands, "And the thing is, he used to have it. He used to be that knight, but somewhere over the past three years, he's fallen behind."

"None of us imagined anything would happen like this. This whole situation has caught us off guard," Eliwood replied, "Besides, I think Sain will pull through just fine; he can't stay this way for long. He's the least of our worries at the moment."

"Yes," Kent agreed, rising from his chair, "Do you know why it was Nino they targeted?"

Eliwood shook his head, "No, but part of me thinks it was just to get to Jaffar."

Kent frowned, "That's awfully…petty."

"Yes," Eliwood said, "at first it does seem petty. But if you think about it, Jaffar's betrayal was a key turning point in the fight against Nergal, and without him we would probably still be guessing at who's behind this. Jaffar willingly placed a chink in his armor when he married Nino, but he's not the type to sit around while his enemies exploit his weaknesses."

Kent looked at Eliwood as he caught his implications, "You really think he'd leave?"

"If it meant saving Nino, yes. He's not one to let what he wants get in the way of what needs to be done. He's already proven he can break the bonds that tie him down," Eliwood answered.

Kent's brow furrowed in contemplation; to just up and leave seemed rather shameful, but this was Jaffar they were talking about. And he was important.

"So…to keep Jaffar we need to protect Nino," Kent said.

Eliwood nodded, "Yes. If we can't do that well enough, I believe Jaffar will do it himself, or simply leave. Either way we've lost him, and while it wouldn't kill us, it would certainly slow us down."

Kent shook his head, "I suppose you're right, but do you really think it was all a ploy to get rid of Jaffar?"

"I don't know," Eliwood sighed, "It's just one of the possibilities, but it's not too farfetched to consider. We could be wrong though, Ephidel may have been going for something else."

Kent said nothing, allowing the lull in the conversation to grow as the two considered all the possibilities 'something else' could be. After a moment a soldier appeared around a bend in the hallway, snapping to attention upon seeing Eliwood.

"Lord Eliwood, a messenger has just arrived from Marquess Ostia," he said.

Eliwood nodded, "About time too. Kent, I'll talk to you later. Let me know when Sain comes around."

Kent watched as Eliwood walked off, accompanied by the guard, before turning to the wooden door at his back.

"Sain, I know you heard that. You of all people should leap at the chance to redeem yourself. Come out of there," he said, feeling rather foolish talking to a closed door.

After a moment of silence he knocked, "At least answer me."

Another pause. Kent banged on the door forcefully, he wished the fool would stop sulking and act like a knight. After another long silence Kent let out a grunt as he threw his shoulder against the door, splintering the doorframe as he sent it swinging into the wall.

"Sain-" he said, pausing as he realized no one was in the room. Now he really did feel foolish, but the sentiment barely had time to register before a wave of panic washed over him. Where was Sain? His eye stopped on a note, written in Sain's lilting, calligraphic script, which lay on the desk.

"_Kent,_

_Gone to find myself. Back in time._

_-Sain"_

Kent's eye twitched at the maddeningly ambiguous note. He spun around and dashed out the door, booking it for the stables. It would be just like Sain to go on some heroic adventure to 'find himself.' Kent blew past some maids and out the front entrance, taking the stairs in groups of three before turning left at the bottom. Running around to the side of the castle he slid to a stop as he reached the stables, leaning on a post as he searched for Sain's horse. It wasn't there.

Kent turned slowly and walked from the stables. Why had Sain done this? It wasn't like him to be so serious. Kent groaned and buried his face in his hands. Trying to decide where Sain would possibly go was like trying to decide which woman he thought was most beautiful. The answer was simply the next one that he laid eyes on, of course, but Kent had no idea where Sain's eye had fallen. What in Elibe had he been thinking? Kent stopped as a sudden idea hit him. There was one person he would talk to if trying to discover something about himself, and if he was right, then it was obvious why Sain had left in such a hurry. Kent resisted the urge to mount his own steed and ride off in search of his friend. He would have to discuss this with Eliwood.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"My Lord."

King Desmond started as the whisper hissed into his ear; it seemed to addle his brain before dissipating. He suppressed a shudder and turned to the man standing beside him.

"What?" he said.

"You may want to pay attention," he answered.

Desmond frowned and looked down into the fighting pits. A blue haired man was standing in the center, an immense sword resting on his shoulder. His face was stoic, and seemed to be stuck that way. He looked rather bored.

"What is it? Why isn't he-"

Desmond stopped as he made a sudden connection. He leaned forward, nostrils flaring as he inhaled sharply. This man was the same one who'd entered the pits at the beginning of the day. He looked over at the man standing to his right.

"What is the meaning of this, Ephidel?" he asked, looking back down at the man and resting his chin on the back of his folded hands.

Ephidel smiled, "It means you have another general."

"Right…"Desmond said slowly, "I only need…"

"One more," Ephidel finished, "You only need one more."

Desmond smiled; this was going more quickly than he had imagined. His momentary pleasure was washed away as another thought, the only thought, entered his mind.

"But there is still a certain loose end that needs tying," he said, his tone brooding.

Ephidel inclined his head slightly, "When the time comes, I will see to that one myself."

Desmond forced himself to relax, sitting back to watch as his soon-to-be-general turned to face the next opponent. He could trust Ephidel; soon he would be able to devote his attention to more important matters. Ephidel wasn't one to make mistakes.

**I seem to throw in plot twists each chapter, which is probably good, not to mention expected. I hope you enjoyed this chapter; despite its length it seemed to me that not enough happened. I don't know though, I've been staring at this chapter so long, I think I over-analyzed it. But that's what you are for! To tell me what I can no longer tell myself, so please drop me a review if you have time. Thanks, and if I don't get one from you I'll see you next update.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	15. Chapter 15

**Agh! Wow, I have been gone for a while haven't I? I feel really guilty, for those in psychology, my superego is going like mad right now. Anyway, I realized with this chapter, along with your reviews, that I honestly do jump around to much. I do in this chapter, and I hope it isn't too disruptive, but I have put a halt to it. In the next chapter, which is already written, it will only happen once. Thank you for your patience as I update at a snail's pace, hope you enjoy chapter fifteen.**

_Ninian did not want to go. She was in Eliwood's arms, it was their wedding day again, and he had that look in his eyes. But something was pulling her. She saw Eliwood's smile melt away as he watched her leave, his expression confused._

"_Ninian," he said, not moving from where he stood, "Where are you going? Ninian…"_

Ninian's eyes snapped open. She felt her heart pounding in her chest; she could hear it in the stillness of the dark, moonless night. It gradually slowed as she settled back into reality. She was in bed, she could feel Eliwood's arm around her waist, his gentle breathing coming from behind her. It had only been a dream, and a seemingly harmless one at that. Why had it unnerved her so?

"Ninian."

She forced back the urge to cry out as a voice that was not Eliwood's whispered her name. A silhouette played across the dark night sky as someone passed in front of the open window. A moment later she felt a hand grip her wrist and she slid out of bed. Her white nightgown seemed to glow in the black that surrounded her, and as the door opened slightly she saw what appeared to be a man leading her out into the hallway. Her mind began firing off questions faster than she could answer. Why hadn't Eliwood awoken? Who was this? Why wasn't she screaming, running, anything?

This last question prompted an answer, "_Because it feels safe."_

True, she had not felt any impending danger. She stopped as the man came to a halt underneath a torch, burning low in its brazier. He turned, but his face was veiled by shadows.

"Enjoying a dream," he said, posing it not as a question, but a statement.

"Who are you?" Ninian said after a moment, trying to peer through the darkness.

The man inhaled and pulled his hood farther around his face, "No one, for the moment. Where is Durandal? Safe, I hope."

Ninian was surprised. Who was this?

"Why are you asking me?" she said quietly, "My Lord alone knows where it is."

"Please, it calls to you. It was made to kill you. You know it's true; and you can't help but know where it is," he said.

Ninian drew back slightly at the man's words, he was right.

"Yes…it is safe," she answered, "but why are you not asking my Lord?"

"He would ask questions, questions I am not ever going to answer," he said, his tone aloof.

Once again, this man was right; Eliwood would not stand for questions without having some of his own answered. She ventured further, "What must it be protected from?"

She knew the answer, and perhaps he could tell, because he moved to the window without a word and leapt to the ledge. His cloak fanned out behind him as the wild night eddies whipped it about, exposing a wicked dagger strapped to the small of his back, as well as a thin, dark blotch on his shoulder. The man was bleeding.

He stood for a moment, eyes closed as he inhaled deeply before wheeling about slowly to look at Ninian.

"Don't waste my time, I have places to be. Protected from morphs, of course."

Before she could react he took a step backwards and disappeared. Ninian's somber features were lined with worry as she watched the window, half expecting him to jump back through. She crossed her arms and shivered as a gust of wind howled through the window, sending a cloud of sparks from the torch into the dark hallway. She turned; watching as they slowly blinked out of existence, and then made her way back to her room. Bare feet carried her silently down the hallway until she reached the door, still ajar from when she had left. She slipped in quietly, sliding into bed for the second time that night. Only this time, she would not fall asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"He what?" Eliwood said, barely containing his outrage.

"He left," Kent said, handing Sain's note to Eliwood.

Eliwood unfolded the note, and as his eyes ran its length his brow relaxed. He sighed, "This is something I should have seen coming I suppose. And you want to go bring him back?"

Kent nodded, "If at all possible, yes."

Eliwood sat back, letting the chair support his dead weight as he tried to unwind. The thing was, he didn't know if it _was_ possible. He needed someone to watch Nino, preferably someone trustworthy who wasn't Jaffar. He had been planning to have Kent do that, and besides that there were a thousand other things that needed attention. Being shorthanded wouldn't help at all, especially if it was Kent that would be leaving. Then again, Kent wasn't technically his to command, although he knew the knight would follow any given order.

"Yes," he said finally, "You can go. Try to be back 'in time', whatever that means."

Kent nodded, "We will be."

"Good," Eliwood replied, relaxing just a bit now that one decision was dealt with, no matter the outcome, "Say hello to Erk for me."

Kent nodded again, but said nothing as he turned and made his way from Eliwood's study.

"Lowen, please bring me Raven and Lucius," Eliwood said, turning to the cavalier, who was serving as 'Jaffar' until the real one was back on duty.

The young knight's teal mane bobbed up and down as he rose from his chair, seated in the darkest part of the room, "Yes sir!"

"And Lowen, just because you're doing some of Jaffar's jobs it does _not_ mean you must skulk in the shadows," Eliwood called after him.

"Yes sir," Lowen called back. Eliwood smiled, amused at the hint of disappointment in his voice.

"What do you think?" he said, turning to Ninian, who was seated next to him.

He frowned when she didn't answer, but continued staring at the candle that burned on the desk.

"Ninian?" he said.

She started, looking away from the flame and into Eliwood's eyes, "Yes?"

"What is it?" Eliwood asked. Ninian had been flighty all morning, and now he wanted to know what was going on.

"I don't know," she answered, leaning into him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"You don't, or you don't want _me_ to know?" Eliwood said, chasing after the answer he knew would eventually come.

"No. As I've said before, our secrets ended long ago, my Lord," she murmured, turning her face into his chest.

"Then what?" he pressed.

After a moment of quiet, she looked up; her dark crimson eyes only inches below his shining blue ones.

"A man came last night…" she said, refusing to break eye contact, "He asked me about Durandal."

Eliwood blinked. First morphs, then Ephidel and Limstella, now Durandal was being pulled into this? His mind immediately leapt to Armads as well.

"Why didn't you wake me?" he asked.

"He didn't want me to…it seemed urgent," she answered, knowing the feeble answer would do little to placate her husband's worries.

After a moment Eliwood drew back, holding Ninian's shoulders as he looked at her carefully, "This is ridiculous. From morphs to mysterious men, we have people sneaking in here on a nightly basis."

Ninian was silent as he continued, "For Elimine's sake, half our problems would be solved if we didn't have to worry about guarding everyone."

Ninian smiled slightly, now Eliwood was simply talking to himself, trying to sort this problem out. He let go of her and began to walk circles around his desk.

"I might as well move everyone to the dining hall! That would make things so much simpler. In fact," he said, turning to look at her, "That's what I'm doing."

"To the dining hall?"

They both turned to find Raven and Lucius in the doorway.

"We're moving everyone to the dining hall?" Raven repeated.

"Just at night," Eliwood answered, "It would make things so much easier to handle."

Lucius' face lit up, "I think it's a wonderful idea. Strategy aside, it sounds enjoyable."

"Well, that wasn't what I had in mind, but I suppose…" Eliwood said, trailing off. Leave it to Lucius to find something enjoyable about all of this.

Raven shook his head, "Whatever, I don't see anything wrong with it for now. What did you want us for?"

"I was going to ask you to guard Nino's room, but seeing as everyone will be moving that won't be necessary," he answered.

"All right then, about this plan," Raven said, quickly changing tact, "How will this work?"

"I just need somewhere central, somewhere that will be easy to guard," Eliwood said.

Raven fell silent, his grim features set in his usual frown, albeit a thoughtful one.

"It could work," he said after a moment, "We'll have enough guards to rotate comfortably through the night as well as keep up regular patrols. That is, as long as we are only guarding that one room."

"That's the idea," Eliwood said, "And it has no windows. Raven, if you would, please go tell Marcus. I'd like to have everyone informed in time to do this tonight. Lowen, go with him, if you need me I'll be with Pent and Louise."

At that he strode from the room, Ninian following close behind as the others dispersed to see to their duties. As they made their way towards Pent and Louise's room, Eliwood began to question her once again.

"What did he look like, Ninian?"

"It was dark. I could see nothing but a man in a cloak, he never revealed himself," she answered.

"Nothing at all stuck out? He may have had decent motives, but I still don't like men who sneak into my castle and spirit my wife away in the middle of the night," he said.

Ninian couldn't help it as laughter bubbled up from within her, "My Lord, he did not spirit me away, we walked twenty yards down the hall."

Eliwood stopped as they reached Pent and Louise's quarters, but he did not knock. He looked over at Ninian, whose smile quickly faded back into her weary gaze.

"What is it, my Lord?"

This time it was Eliwood who smiled, "Nothing. I just can't help but think that if it gets you to laugh, it can't be all that bad."

"I'd go by that rule."

The two looked up as the door swung all the way open to reveal Louise. Her bright, smiling eyes told them she had been listening.

"As would I," Pent said, stepping into view further back in the room, fastening a cape around his shoulders, "What do you need Eliwood?"

"Beds," Eliwood answered, "We're moving everyone into the dining hall for the nights until this whole thing is a bad memory."

Pent's face lit up, "Excellent, that combined with the light runes should make things much easier."

Eliwood nodded in agreement, "Yes, it hopefully will. Now let's go, I have to find Marcus before this begins."

Ninian turned her attention to Louise as the four headed for the training grounds, "Louise, how is Klein?"

"Oh he's wonderful," Louise said, "He gets into everything, makes a mess of whatever he touches, but we adore him. I was curious as to whether or not he had the gift for magic, but Pent thinks not. He's fascinated with my bow though, perhaps he'll take after me."

Ninian watched as simply mentioning Klein brought a smile to Louise's lips, as did many things, but this one seemed different. It was quiet, but spoke of inexpressible joy. She couldn't help but wonder, was this really what it meant to have children? To carry for nine months, endure the pains of birth, and in the end be given a joy impossible to find anywhere else? Her hand drifted to her own stomach. Her frame was slight, impossibly delicate, as if to foil what she really was; how would she hold up under the pressures of pregnancy when the time came?

She was suddenly drawn back to the present, aware of the sunlight bearing down on her as the foursome left the confines of the castle. She rarely went outside and even now she could feel her pale skin beginning to burn under the sun's rays. She drew closer to Eliwood, entwining her arm in his own, and felt safer for it as he smiled down on her. Nothing had changed, but that was how it had always been. As long as she was with him she would be fine.

"Eliwood!"

They turned to see a knight in orange armor riding up, Raven, Lucius, and Lowen trailing behind him.

"Marcus," Eliwood called back, "I take it Raven and Lucius informed you of what we'll be doing?"

"Yes they did, and I approve," Marcus answered.

"Good, I wanted to get your opinion before going ahead with it," Eliwood replied.

"One thing though, Eliwood," Marcus interrupted.

Eliwood stopped and looked at him expectantly.

"I'm just thinking," the knight continued, "that with everyone in one room won't it be easier for morphs to enter the castle?"

"Not really," Eliwood answered, "We'll all be in one room, yes, but not the guards. They'll continue with their regular rounds, and remember the light runes. I just can't have us spread so far across the castle anymore."

Marcus nodded, "That was my only concern."

"And it was a legitimate one. Now, if you can get some of the guards inside the help us move beds into the hall, we should be able to make it in time for tonight," Eliwood answered.

Marcus snapped to attention, "Understood. I'll meet you in the dining hall in ten minutes."

At that he rode off, in search of soldiers who looked like they had a little too much free time on their hands. Usually his first target would have been Sain, but seeing as the man had gone and run off he'd have to start elsewhere. He glared at nothing in particular as he rode; he was going to have a talk with Sain once he got back. The man may not have been his knight, but that wouldn't stop him. He paused, forcing the thoughts aside before he really got going. Now wasn't the time. There would plenty of time for that later, now he needed to focus on the task at hand.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Matthew was in trouble. Then again, he was always in trouble, but not like this. This wasn't 'Hector found the honey all over his Wolf Beil' trouble; this was 'running from ten morphs' trouble. He had fulfilled his promise the previous night and delivered the bodies to the castle gates at midnight. True to his word, Zephiel had a man waiting there, a towering knight with short blonde hair. After the wordless exchange Matthew had pretended to leave, but returned fifteen minutes later. He knew Zephiel would have purposefully ordered no guards at the front gate for an extended period of time after midnight and he couldn't let something like that pass him by. It had been easy to slip in unannounced.

At least, that's what he had thought. It wasn't until the next night that he had found out, but someone had thought it prudent to ignore Zephiel's orders. He had been making his way to the guard's barracks to borrow some armor when he found himself confronted by a group of men. All were dressed in black, all had their faces hidden in deep hoods; all were obviously morphs. Now he was running along the ramparts, his eyes darting from left to right as he looked for an escape route. He grinned as a sentry tower appeared before him, looming above him in the darkness. If he could reach that it would be easy to make his way to the ground and escape.

He chanced a look over his shoulder, and blanched. There were only five chasing him now, where had the other five gone? Matthew found his answer as he turned back to the sentry tower and saw five figures exiting the door that led to the ramparts, they had somehow circled around. How had they done that? He toyed with the idea of jumping, if that's what they had done then he could do it as well. He glanced over the edge and quickly abandoned the idea; a fall from here would snap his legs like slim lances.

Matthew sighed, slowed his pace, and drew his daggers. There was nowhere to go. As the morphs neared one of them thought it would play hero and pulled out from the others. Lunging towards him, the morph barely had time to draw its weapon as Matthew ducked and thrust upward, his dagger piercing the underside of the morph's chin. The thief wheeled about as the morph disappeared, raising both arms to ward off a blow coming from behind. As a sword bounced off his daggers he felt a cold hand at his neck and whipped around, catching the morph in the face. Turning back around he received a sword pommel to the forehead and was sent sprawling, daggers still raised as they converged on him.

"_Two down, too many to go…"_

A moment later he was pinned down, arms and legs held in iron hands as they relieved him of his weapons. He had killed two of them, but they didn't seem to care as they silently trussed him up before one stepped forward to carry him.

Matthew grunted as he was hoisted roughly onto a shoulder and carried off the ramparts. No one said a word as they walked, moving through the castle grounds and entering through a side door. Soon they were in the dungeons, and Matthew found himself in a small, windowless room, tied to a chair chiseled right out of the rock that made up the cell. Matthew's brow turned up in surprise as they filed out after double checking his bindings; he had been sure there would be questions. Either way, it didn't matter. He knew if he breathed a word about anything all would be lost. Apparently they didn't want to know though, and that was fine with him.

"Matthew."

Matthew jumped as someone spoke his name, someone standing _behind_ him. He listened as the man moved around to his front, his footfalls echoing softly in the quiet room.

"It's not much use being a spy," he continued, "When someone knows who you are, Matthew."

Matthew paled in the darkness, he knew that voice. A flame suddenly leapt to life, hovering over an outstretched hand, and Matthew found himself staring into Ephidel's golden eyes. Something was wrong though, this Ephidel had long ebon hair, and his face was free of any burns. This was not the Ephidel Jaffar had described, this was the Ephidel of three years ago.

"Expecting something different?" Ephidel said, "It's been a while since Jaffar saw me last, I thought you would have expected something like this."

Matthew didn't answer.

"Feel free to remain silent for now, but you will talk eventually. You might as well enjoy it," Ephidel said. He brought his free hand to his chin, examining Matthew carefully as an art lover examines a rare painting.

"Yes," he said, extinguishing his flame, "you will talk tomorrow. Good night Matthew."

The door opened and Matthew watched as Ephidel left the room, his silhouette outlined against the faint torchlight that crept in. He waited until the door had closed completely and then relaxed, slumping against the cold stone. He was in so much trouble.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Guinevere's feet swung back and forth as she read the book in front of her. She frowned; her feet were so close to the floor, if only she were a bit taller. She sighed, bored with the book, and turned her attention to the open window, looking at the courtyard below. There were men there, walking around, talking to each other. Some were laughing and all had weapons. She was about to turn back to the book in front of her when something caught her eye.

"Father," she said, her high, childish voice filled with wonder, "That man in the courtyard…he has a tail."

"What? Oh yes, I'm sure he does my love, now please go back to your studies," Desmond said dismissively, and went back to talking with his advisor.

Guinevere's lips turned down into a pout as she looked away from the window and went back to _The History of Bern_. Her father was usually busy, but ever since that man, Ephidel, had replaced his old advisor he'd had even less time than usual.

She watched as the men talked, rolling her eyes up to see, but keeping her face directed at the open book.

"Guinevere, you're not studying, are you?"

She looked up, startled. Ephidel had been watching her as well, a bright smile on his face. He was particularly happy this morning, and she didn't know why, but she got the feeling something bad was going to happen whenever he smiled. She sighed, this time drawing it out as she tried to convey her boredom.

"No. But _The History of Bern_ is so boring," she complained.

"And so is being a princess, at times," Ephidel said, his smile widening.

Guinevere suppressed a shudder and looked down at the page she had been reading for the past hour, "Yes Ephidel."

Ephidel seemed nice enough, but it must be awful to have a smile that frightened people.

"When will they amend this father? It doesn't include you, or Zephiel," she asked absentmindedly, skimming over the uninteresting parts, which was most of the book.

Desmond bristled at the mentioning of his son, but he didn't let it into his voice, "That's the oldest original copy of that book Guinevere, it doesn't get amended, and it only covers the seven hundred years after the Scouring. You'll be reading something more current next month."

Guinevere's face turned sour, but she kept quiet, half reading and half listening.

"So, this Ike is to be my third general," Desmond said, "What of the fourth? Alucard, I was thinking."

Ephidel shook his head, "I think not, my Lord. He's too unpredictable; he is barely controlled in the pits. He fights simply to watch the-"

Ephidel paused, and eyed Guinevere before continuing, "He fights for pleasure. Put him in a position of power and he'll send your men into battle just to watch them fall. I suggest we find another for the last position."

"Of course," Desmond said thoughtfully, "You're right, but then who?"

"We have time," Ephidel said, "But I had my eye on the mage."

Desmond nodded, "Yes, he was intriguing, I have to admit. All right then, find out what his name is and we'll have the ceremony next week."

"Of course, but your highness, I believe Zephiel should perform the ceremony," Ephidel replied.

Desmond's lip curled up in disgust as he spoke, "Why would I want…"

"Because the people love him, it will be good for them to know he backs this decision," Ephidel answered.

"Ridiculous, I am the king, and the citizenry doesn't attend…but fine, I see your point," Desmond said grudgingly.

"Good, I will set the ceremony for seven days from now," Ephidel said.

"Excellent, very good. Guinevere," he said, turning to his daughter, "I have business to see to. Your maid will be up in a moment to stay with you, please continue reading for now."

"Can't Zephiel come help me? He explains it better," she asked, looking up from the book.

"No," Desmond answered, unable to the keep the hatred out of his voice at the third mentioning of his son in a five minute period, "Now please try to finish that book by tonight, you are almost done."

"Yes father," she answered as Desmond left, Ephidel following in his wake.

Guinevere promptly ignored the book, looking back out the window instead. She tried to pick out the men she found most interesting. There was that man with the tail, although it was hidden now, and there was one with blue hair. She giggled; there was a boy following him around, dressed in black robes, and his expression looked like he'd also been reading _The History of Bern_ for the past hour. She watched as a woman in orange ran up to the blue haired man, a wide smile on her face; Guinevere had never seen a girl mercenary. Another girl joined the group, and Guinevere caught the word 'brother' drift up through the random chattering below. Her mind went to Zephiel, and she wondered how her father could dislike him so. He tried to hide it, but she could tell. His face always twisted when she asked about Zephiel and he never let her linger on the subject.

She rested her chin on folded arms, turning her attention back to the group below. The two girls were laughing and the blue haired man looked like he was trying hard not to smile. They were mercenaries, yet they still found reasons to laugh. She was a princess, yet her own family couldn't seem to pull itself together. It was broken. Then again, things had been worse three years ago. Zephiel hadn't even been allowed inside the castle. In that light, she could deal with it. Guinevere would settle for broken.

**And in other news, Ephidel really does have a smile that frightens small children. Hopefully this was entertaining, next chapter has some twisting of the plot for those who wished for more this chapter. Well maybe not twisting...ah, you'll see. As usual, I would love a review, so if you've got the time then go for it. Otherwise I will see you next update.  
**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	16. Chapter 16

**My my, a chapter in about a week, I should warn you it probably won't happen twice in a row. Anyway, this chapter is a doozy. By that I mean it's pretty long. As for the quality, you'll be the judges of that. I was pleased to get such a response last chapter, it's nice to know you're still following and enjoying this. I think that's enough though, here's chapter sixteen.**

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Kent crested the gentle slope and came to a stop. There it was, Ryerde, the last major city on this leg of the journey. He had been traveling for a week now and still had seen no sign of Sain; it was as if the man were riding a pegasus. Kent slowly dismounted, his legs screaming in pain as they straightened after a day's riding, and he began to walk his horse into the city. A guard looked up as he approached the gates and let out a gruff laugh.

"You're lucky you got here when you did, any later and you'd be locked out for the night. That's no fun these days, not that it ever was," he said.

Kent smiled slightly, but trudged onward, too tired to do anything else. The man was right though, being this close to Laus was dangerous these days. The territory was still a wreck, with bandits doing as they pleased while Eric hid himself away, still trying to come to grips with reality. It had taken him three years, but the official story was finally out. His father had apparently died in an assassination that Eric barely managed to escape. It was true, in a sense. Kent half wondered if Eric had anything to do with this mess, but deep down he knew the man had been broken, no matter what front he tried to maintain.

Kent stopped outside an inn, examining the building before passing judgment. It was loud, to be sure, but it was also well lit. Kent watched as a man came hurtling out the front door, barely on his feet as a large man escorted him out before throwing him into the streets. Apparently they could also handle the troublemakers. Kent tied off his horse and entered the building, pleased with the cheery atmosphere. Men were laughing jovially, smashing tankards together with enough force to jar their buzzing skulls, and as he made his way to the counter Kent heard the high pitched laughter of women. He looked over to his right and saw several barmaids behind the counter, laughing and arguing.

"No no no, he told _me_ I was beautiful, you were simply pretty."

"Something's addled your brain dear; the last man who called you beautiful was downing his fifth pint."

Kent ignored them as they continued to bicker, but something about the conversation seemed familiar. Wasn't that always how it went when Sain stopped at an inn? Well, not always, half the time he got a smack to the face, but that never stopped him. Kent waved over the barkeep, maybe he'd finally stumbled upon some luck.

"Yeah?" the man said, his deep bass rumbling quite clearly underneath the chatter.

"Do you have any rooms?" Kent asked, raising his voice, "Just one for the night."

"As a matter fact, I do. It'll be four hundred gold, and that buys you dinner too," the man said.

"I'll take it," Kent said, reaching into his purse and counting out the gold, "And you haven't seen a man like me in here, have you? Came in on a horse, riding like a dragon was on his tail, wearing green armor?"

"Yeah, I seen him, but you should talk to the barmaids about that one. All I did was give him a room, maybe two days ago," the man said, sliding the coins off the counter and into a wide pocket on his apron, "Come see me when you want dinner."

Kent took the room key and nodded, his eye roving over the crowded room in search of a barmaid. He spied one, glowering up at a huge man who wore a silly smile on his face that said he was going to keel over any minute. Kent caught a smattering of the conversation as he made his way towards her.

"No, you can_not_ have just one more, you can go to your room and sleep it off, or I'll have Darrell throw you out like last night."

Kent watched, amused as the large man he'd seen before, presumably Darrell, stepped up behind the tottering fool and smacked him on the back, a wide grin on his face that was a bit too friendly. The drunk stopped smiling and looked over his shoulder. Kent could see it was hard for him, but the mental gears were turning as he gazed at the hulk standing behind him, and then looked down at the hand firmly grasping his shoulder.

"Ya' know," he said after moment, his speech slurred, "I think'll b'goin' up t'ma room now."

"Good idea," Darrell said, his smile disappearing as the man turned his back to them and stumbled up the stairs, leaning heavily on the hand rail all the while.

Kent stepped forward, approaching the barmaid as the big man sighed and went back to his position just inside the doorway, "Excuse me, I was wondering if I might have a word with you?"

The woman turned, "'Might have a word with me'? You sound like that other guy. Maybe not as flowery, but still. What do you want?"

"Actually, it's about that 'other guy', what did he look like? Was he about my height with brown hair and green armor?"

"Wearing a headband? Yeah, he was here, about two days ago. He left real early in the morning. Why, he in some kind of trouble?" she asked.

"You could say that," Kent answered absentmindedly, dismayed at the fact that he was still two days behind his friend.

She nodded, "Thought so, you're the second guy to come through here asking about him. He was nice enough when he got here, but I saw him leave in the morning. He rode out of here like he knew something was on his tail."

"What?" Kent said, snapping out his reverie, "Someone else was asking about him? Who?"

"I dunno, some guy in a cloak. Then again, they all wear cloaks, but you know what I mean. This guy was different. I didn't like him; I got chills just listening to him. I was glad when he left… Yeah yeah I hear you, just a minute!"

With that she left, making her way through the crowded room to a table full of rowdy men, banging empty tankards together as they shouted for refills. Kent went pale and sat down on the nearest bar stool. Sain was in trouble, and he was nowhere near catching up to him.

"You look like you could use a drink," the barkeep said, leaning over the counter as he polished a glass.

"No," Kent answered, "That's the last thing I need. I'll take that dinner now though…"

He fell silent, his thoughts racing as the man went about getting his food. He couldn't leave tonight; he would soon be punishing his body with a trip through Nabata. No matter how much he wanted to go, he knew he needed at least this one night to recover. This meant he would fall even farther behind, but it was inevitable. He sighed, and brought a fist within inches of slamming onto the countertop before staying his hand. There was nothing to do but get as much sleep as possible before heading out tomorrow. Then he would push himself, to whatever end it might bring.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ike looked up as Soren entered the room, "It's time, Ike."

The mercenary rose from the chair he had been sitting in and walked to the door, "Is it already?"

Soren nodded and the two headed out the door and down the hallway, making their way to the throne room. The day had come to bestow the titles upon Desmond's four generals, and it had somehow snuck up on Ike. He didn't see how though, he had just been reminded two days ago when they found out Soren had been picked as the fourth general, much to the mage's ire.

"So," he said, looking down at his plain, everyday clothing, "no dressing up? No funny hats?"

"No Ike, no funny hats. Bern is not so trivial, they care little for appearances. They chose me after all," Soren answered.

Ike nodded, but said nothing as they reached the large, double doors leading into the throne room. They entered and Ike saw the other two generals off to their right, Adelaide and Faust. He eyed the two, seeing them for the first time in person since he had been told their names.

Adelaide carried a silver bow at her side and an expression of casual disregard on her face. She was tall for a woman, and that paired with her blazing red hair reminded Ike very strongly of Titania. She looked around the room, as if casting judgment on King Desmond's décor, and avoided eye contact with everyone. Faust, it seemed, had taken it upon himself to foil Adelaide; as such he wore a huge grin on his face and was talking frantically, although quietly. He was older, with streaks of grey in his hair, and had a sword at each hip and an axe across his back. Ike could only guess he was a typical mercenary, albeit a skilled one to make it this far.

Ike and Soren stopped next to Faust, who turned to them and flashed an impossibly large smile.

"Ike, is it? And Soren? Name's Faust, and this is Adelaide. Don't be fooled by her cheery demeanor, she's really not much fun to talk to," he said, continuing to chatter away, laughing at his own jokes that were told much too fast to comprehend.

Ike nodded towards Adelaide, who had spared him a glance before turning her gaze to Soren, and then back to the ceiling.

"How long have you been waiting?" Ike asked.

Faust stopped mid sentence and stroked his goatee, "Oh, twenty minutes maybe. You know the nobility; always have to show up late. I think they do it to prove point, that they can break their own rules you know?"

Ike tuned out the man's incessant droning as he too looked around the room. Twenty minutes wasn't that long really, they would probably end up waiting for at least an hour before something happened. Before long he found himself gazing at a tapestry that hung behind the throne. It depicted the Scouring he had heard so much about, and he couldn't help but think one of the dragons looked like Dheginsea. Of course, all dragons looked similar when they were getting ready to tear someone apart. Ike looked up as the doors swung open and Desmond walked in. Maybe this wouldn't take as long as he'd thought.

"Adelaide, Faust, Ike, and Soren," Desmond said, looking the four over, "You four have been chosen to represent and lead the armies of Bern. Step forth."

Desmond turned and took his seat upon the throne, waiting as the four lined up in front of him.

"Changes are afoot in Elibe, and I have chosen you four," he continued, "to usher in those changes. Today you become something more than common mercenaries, you will be Generals of Bern. My son, Zephiel, will bestow upon you the title."

No one moved, but they all listened as muffled footsteps came from behind them and Zephiel walked into the room. He passed between them carrying a large bag in his arms. He knelt in front of Desmond and with a single, swift motion pulled the bag away to reveal a magnificent sword. Zephiel bowed his head, and raised the sword towards his father.

"My son, although the honor of wielding the sacred blade Exxacus is not yet yours, as King of Bern I will allow an exception," he said, eyeing Zephiel like something that had crawled in off the street and died in front of him.

"Thank you Your Highness," Zephiel said, withdrawing the proffered blade and rising to his full height. He turned and looked them over.

"Adelaide, step forth," he said, gesturing for her to come closer.

She complied, and knelt upon one knee as Zephiel had a moment earlier, her bow extended as if offering it to the prince.

"By offering up your weapon, Adelaide, you are swearing loyalty to Bern, and to this oath you will be held. In the name of Hartmut, and by the power of his sacred blade Exxacus, I bestow upon you this title and name you Adelaide, General of Bern. Rise, and take your place."

Adelaide stepped back into the line and murmured a word of thanks. Zephiel inclined his head at her words before looking at Faust, "Faust, step forth."

Ike watched as Faust was given his title. When his time came, he followed suit, kneeling on his right knee and offering Ragnell to the prince. After receiving his title he stepped back, taking his place next to Faust, waiting as Soren received his own. When Zephiel was done he turned, bowed to his father, and then turned back to the four.

"Generals of Bern, you will wait here for the royal advisor to come. He will show you to your new quarters, as well as give you further instructions," Zephiel said, and then picked up the sword bag, sliding it reverently over the blade.

Desmond rose from his throne and nodded curtly to the four before leaving the room, Zephiel following close behind.

After the doors had closed it took a minute for Faust to break the silence.

"Well," he said slowly, looking himself over, "I don't _feel_ any different."

At that he burst out laughing, talking all the while. Ike gave him an odd look.

"You learn to ignore it," Adelaide said, her voice a bored monotone.

"I hope so," Ike said, although the man honestly was only a bit worse than Boyd.

"I wonder what they'll have us doing first," Faust mused, and then proceeded to go over all the options he thought were most likely.

His suppositions came to a halt as the doors opened once again and a man stepped in. He was dressed head to toe in a long black cloak, with golden embroidery on the edges. Underneath he wore clothes of the same design. His eyes were light brown, almost golden, and he had a full head of long, ebon hair.

"Generals of Bern, my name is Ephidel, I will be showing you to your quarters. But first, the war room," he said. Ike's shrugged as Ephidel turned, trying to shake off an involuntary shiver that ran down his spine. The man's voice was relaxing, hypnotic even.

"Ah," said Faust, following the man from the room, "That was number one on my list. I mean, why select generals if not for war, eh?"

Ike gave Soren a look, but the mage didn't return it. As they entered the war room, Ike looked around. It was much longer than it was wide, with torches on the walls every few feet and a long wooden table in the center of the room. Maps of all sorts were spread across it, some depicting Elibe, some featuring single countries. Ike's eye drifted to one that seemed to be of Elibe, but the countries were disproportionate. Etruria seemed to dwarf all the other countries, including Bern.

"What's this?" Ike asked, gesturing to the map.

Ephidel turned once he had reached the head of the table and looked at the map Ike had pointed out.

"That map depicts magical prowess. In that sense, Etruria dominates," he said.

Ike saw Soren nod out of the corner of his eye. He supposed it made sense; magic was a large factor in warfare. Any country that ignored it would be crushed in battle.

"And that brings me to the point of this gathering," Ephidel continued, "I hope you're ready to start earning your titles, because war is about to consume Elibe."

"Why?" Adelaide asked.

Ephidel smiled, "Why not? Elibe is growing weak; if you need a reason, then let it be to salvage what is left of this continent. Bern is strong; we will dominate and usher in a golden era. Etruria is evidence enough, its new mage-general is weak, unused to his position. Etruria has not recovered the loss of its most decorated mage-general, despite any façade it may present. Etruria is an indication to the rest of Elibe. The first to fall though must be the Lycia. The Lycian League is strong, for it is balanced among its magic users and soldiers."

Adelaide fell silent, apparently satisfied with the answer. Both she and Faust knew that Bern had been flexing its militant muscle, itching to conquer for some time. War had seemed upon them three years ago, but something had happened, and Bern had missed its chance to strike. Perhaps now they were taking the opportunity before it disappeared.

"If there are no more questions," Ephidel said, "then I will continue. We will mobilize by the end of the month. Heading for Lycia first we will take Pherae within the next four weeks. Next we will target Etruria, which will most likely still be debating over our intentions. A small force will be selected at that time to deal with any problems arising from Sacae, so this will be a duel strike. With the countries that border Ilia under our control it will fall easily despite its mercenaries."

"How long do you expect this campaign to take?" Soren asked.

"No more than a year," Ephidel replied, "And that brings me to my next point; your troops. Adelaide, you will take control of the wyvern riders."

Adelaide looked up from inspecting her bow string, "Thought so."

"Faust, you will control our mercenary forces. They need a man who is the picture of success in their line of work," Ephidel said.

Faust laughed, "Makes sense to me. I suppose that leaves the regular armies of Bern to Ike and Soren, yeah?"

"Correct. Ike, you will assume control over the soldiers, and Soren will guide the mages," Ephidel answered.

Ike nodded, and Soren simply made eye contact.

Ephidel continued, satisfied that they both knew their positions, "You will report to King Desmond or me, and no one else."

"What about Zephiel? I've heard he's got a good head on his shoulders," Faust asked.

"Zephiel is none of your concern, and you would do well to remember that," Ephidel answered slowly, "That is all for today, you are dismissed. Servants will take you to your personal quarters after you have retrieved any belongings from the mercenary barracks."

Ephidel left, leaving the four alone.

"Well," Faust said, "I don't know about you, but I'm going to get my stuff. See you tomorrow."

He strode from the room and Adelaide followed without a word.

Soren nodded towards Ike curtly, "See you tomorrow, General."

With that he left, leaving Ike alone with the maps. Ike knew what he was doing, and examined the maps until an appropriate amount of time had passed. Then he left, making sure to take a different route to their room. As he entered, he found Soren in the middle, surrounded by the others.

"They're mobilizing by the end of the month?" Nasir asked as he entered, "That doesn't give us much time."

"No it doesn't," Soren answered.

"I mean, it would take at least a week to make it back to Pherae, and we're already a week into this month," Nasir continued, "And Pherae will never be able to fend off such a large attack by itself. Not to mention the time it will take to inform the rest of Lycia."

"That's why an intervention is in order," Soren replied, "And it won't be much easier."

"What do you have in mind?" Nasir asked.

"You will stay here," Soren began, "Integrate yourselves into Faust's mercenaries. You don't know Ike, Ike doesn't know you."

"I don't see how that helps," Lethe said.

"You're right," Soren answered, "but I have a plan, and please, _listen closely_."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Cold sweat covered Ike's passive brow as he bent low over the wooden table, looking at the maps that stretched from one end to the other; he was back in the war room. It was late, the day was over and the sun had already set, the torches burned brightly in their braziers. A single drop of sweat fell from his nose onto the map he was reading, smudging the word 'Pherae.' He looked up as the doors opened and Soren entered the room. He inhaled slowly, feeling the tension in the room.

"General Soren, good to see you," he said.

Soren said nothing, but kept his back to Ike.

"I was wondering if you would lend me a hand, a soldier's worst enemy is a mage and it would help if you gave them a talk on how to deal with magic users," Ike said, paying little attention as he circled around the table, his eyes dancing over the maps.

"Yes," Soren said quietly, "We mages are your worst enemies, aren't we?"

"Eh?" Ike said, looking up in time see a torrent of flames as they smashed into his armored side. He hit the ground hard and Ragnell was torn from his grasp, landing a few feet from where he lay.

"What are you _doing_?" he shouted, frantically pushing himself to his knees before another blast hit his opposite side, sending him spinning across the room.

"Bern has a rich history of backstabbing and double crossing," Soren answered, conjuring up another flame, "I just thought I would add to it. Have you not heard the old adage, 'more power to you'?"

"What? That makes no sense, Ephidel won't have a general who kills his fellow soldiers," Ike said, edging closer to Ragnell as he spoke.

"No he won't, so I can't understand why you tried to kill me," Soren answered, his face taking on a deeply hurt expression, "Guards!"

Soren let loose another barrage of fire, which nailed Ike dead center. He flew through the air and landed on his side, a dull crunch let him know something was broken. He stretched an arm out; his fingers were only inches from Ragnell's pommel.

"So that's it then? Kill me and say I tried to kill you?" he said slowly.

"You should have known on the very day you found me that I would do this. And yes, that is the basic idea. Maybe I'll be bleeding a little when the guards arrive, just for effect. Speaking of the guards, they should be here soon, why aren't you dead? Most would be by now, you're proving more difficult than I had thought, Ike," Soren replied.

Ike said nothing, but lashed out for Ragnell. He could feel broken ribs clawing at his lungs as he strained, reaching for the sword. Ike fingers wrapped around the hilt, and a look of panic overtook Soren's face as Ike rose to one knee and hurled it at him. Soren's hand rose, another spell at his lips as he watched the sword revolve once, twice, three times before its tear drop shaped tip impaled his tome, and then him. His eyes lost their focus as he dropped to one knee and then fell onto his back, clawing at the Elfire that was pinned to his chest like a badge of shame, its pages slowly becoming stained with blood.

Ike rose, his face stricken as he made his way to Soren's side, but he quickly wiped away the expression as four guards burst into the room. They stopped, staring at the sight before them.

Ike stood for a moment, clutching at his broken ribs before his face twisted into a snarl, "Get this corpse out of my war room!"

The soldiers didn't move at first, still shocked by the spectacle, but one of the men snapped out of his frozen stare with a sharp "Yes sir!" before bending to take a hold of Soren's legs.

Ike reached out and wrapped his hand around Ragnell's hilt, and with a tug it slid free. Its crimson blade shone brightly in the torchlight.

"Throw him out the back gate," Ike said roughly, "and bring me a healer."

The soldiers snapped a salute, not daring to ask questions, and ran off to carry out Ike's orders. He groaned and slumped against the wall, his thoughts going back to Soren. He'd actually done it.

The soldiers slowed their pace as they rounded the corner.

"I tell you, this place is crazy," said one.

"I know what you mean- gah, he's bleeding all over the place," said the man who had Soren slung over his shoulder, looking back at the trail of blood down the hallway.

"Then hurry up and dump him out back. We'll go find a priest while you're at it."

"Right…"

The group split and soon the lone guard was at the small back entrance that led to the castle grounds. He opened the door, pausing to look out over the moonlit forest. The back entrance sloped sharply into the forest below, it was very easy to defend, but at night it still made him shudder. He shrugged Soren's body off his shoulder, laughing as it landed in the mud and rolled a ways down the incline.

"There, now you can wallow in the mud like the pig you are, mercenary."

He stopped laughing and let out a disgusted sigh as he looked down at his bloodied armor; he was going to have to scour it for an hour to get it clean. The man didn't think twice as he turned his back on the night sky, slamming the door and barring it shut.

Had he stayed and watched, though, he would have see a dark form materialize in the moonlight, moving carefully up the incline, crouched low to the ground. Upon reaching Soren it hoisted him onto its shoulders and turned around, moving in the direction it had come before disappearing into the earth.

"Got him!" Nasir gasped, sliding down the freshly dug entrenchment and handing Soren off to Mia before turning back around to keep watch.

"He's not breathing," Mia murmured, laying him on the ground.

"He's not supposed to be," Mist said, her voice quivering as she knelt over him, a recover staff in hand, "That was the plan."

She closed her eyes and silently began mouthing incantations as the staff's gem began to glow, casting an ethereal light over the silent company. No one dared say a word as time passed for fear that what they said would, or would not, come true. After a minute Mist opened one eye and then snapped it shut again, bending lower over Soren's prostrate form. The bleeding had stopped, but for all she knew he had simply run out.

"Soren…" she whispered, her plea sounding more like a farewell.

After another minute passed the staff's gem cracked in two. Silent tears ran down Mist's face as she handed it off to Mia for a new one. It was happening again, she was back there, at that night, leaning over her father. He was going to die and there was nothing she could do about it.

As she made to kneel over him once again, Soren bolted upright. He began gasping while at the same time trying to scream, his crimson irises lost in the expanse of white that surrounded them. His eyes rolled back up inside his head as he fell back into the dirt and rolled over, coughing up gouts of blood and mucus. After a moment he stopped, and then immediately began to heave, his body desperately trying into vomit up what wasn't there. He repeatedly beat his fist into the earth until it stopped and he drew in a long, shaky breath as he rolled back over onto his back.

"Soren…" Mist repeated, this time her voice filled with relief.

"Never again," said Nasir, sliding back down the embankment, "We almost lost you. Those staves aren't meant to bring back the dead."

"No," Soren heaved, his chest rising and falling at a frantic tempo, "never again. My body won't stand for it."

"Neither will I, "Nasir added, "Which brings me to my point. Was this all necessary?"

Soren propped himself up on an elbow and looked the dragon in the eye as he wiped his mouth, "Yes. My becoming a general was the worst thing that could happen to us, and I could hardly decide to up and leave without Ephidel getting suspicious."

"But this…" Nasir said, "This went too far Soren. I could have carried the news back to Pherae."

"No, I need to go. I've been inside, I've met Ephidel, and I know what to do," Soren answered.

"But to go so far as to fake your own death, and in such a way as this," Nasir said, pressing the issue, "Any longer and it wouldn't have been faking. We could have helped you escape."

"Probably," Soren answered, "But Ephidel doesn't remember dead men; they aren't the ones he has to worry about. Nothing goes on in that castle that he doesn't know about, he saw what just happened, or had someone watching for him. This was the best option we had."

Nasir let a tired sigh escape his lips as he shook his head, Soren was right. Ephidel wouldn't consider him a threat, so he was free to do as he pleased.

"Now," Soren said, pushing himself to his feet and brushing off his soiled robes, "Where are those elixirs?"

"Here," said Mist, holding out a small bundle, "but you know it's not good for you. Your body is meant to run on food, not elixirs."

"Bringing enough food to last all the way to—"

"I know, I know!" Mist said, interrupting him, "Just be careful Soren. You're doing too much…I'm scared. I'm afraid your body won't be able to handle it."

"Don't be," he said, "Worrying never makes any difference. Now, wait until morning to slip back in, if all goes well I'll be back in three weeks."

Nasir nodded his acknowledgment and Soren took a step towards the forest, reaching into his robes for his Elfire. Upon finding it missing he stopped, racking his brain as he sorted through hazy, half forgotten memories.

"Ah yes…" he said, an enlightened expression appearing in his face.

He absentmindedly rubbed his chest, his hand playing with the hole in his clothing as he recalled the fate of his fire tome. He shrugged, as if casting off the memory, and started off once again. The group watched, their eyes following him until he disappeared, swallowed up by the trees.

"I hope he'll make it…" Mia said.

"He'll make it," Nasir replied, "He's got someone watching his back."

Mia looked up at him, confused, "He does?"

"Of course. He's made it this far, there's got to be someone up there who likes him," Nasir answered.

"Oh…I thought you meant…never mind," Mia said, sitting down with her back to the bank of earth behind them.

Nasir smiled and looked down at her, "I know what you thought."

Mia stared at him, mouth slightly open as she tried to decide exactly what he was saying, but in the end she closed her eyes and gave up. She was too tired to think, and it was a long wait until morning.

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**So, first things first, Adelaide and Faust. I ask that you not consider these two as OC's, what you saw this chapter was about as much character development as they're going to get. I wouldn't ruin my story and its perfectly good, canon cast with my own attempts at original characters. That said, I hope it was enjoyable. If you're thinking of reviewing, go ahead, make my day. Oh wow that's enough Clint Eastwood allusion for one story...anyway, if you've got the time, drop me a review. If not, see you next update.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	17. Chapter 17

**I sat here for a couple minutes trying to think up a snappy greeting, but in the end I gave up. Anyway, you're just here to read chapter 17 right, not read my A/N notes? So go for it, I finally decided it was time to...ease your suffering. Haha, enjoy!**

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Soren stopped mid-swallow and stared down at his stomach as it grumbled loudly. He hadn't eaten anything for the last six days and his body was letting him know it. He slid the elixir back into his robes and sat up straight, his back cracking as he stretched. It was only morning and already the sun was making him uncomfortably warm—he would not be wearing his cloak today. He stood, glancing over at the fire pit he had made the previous night, and examined the bones therein.

Soren may have been dead to the morphs, but to bandits he was still on the market. One had tried to sneak up on him the night before. It had been easy enough to handle, but what irked him the most was that up until he'd turned to look at the bandit the man had been under the impression he was sneaking up on a young woman. Soren sighed, throwing his cloak over one shoulder as he kicked some dirt onto the dying embers; maybe it was time to cut his hair.

Soren leaned forward, peering through the tree branches towards the bright, cloudless sky before stepping out from the foliage and onto the main path. If all went according to plan this would be his last day, and for Soren, things always went according to plan. He folded his cloak as he walked, draping it over his head to keep the sun off. His black hair veritably soaked it up, and he could feel his pale skin burning whenever he stayed out too long. His stomach flipped and he stopped for a moment before continuing, redoubling his pace. Mist had been right; he should have brought some solid food, which was going to be his first order of business when he arrived at Castle Pherae.

Soren's mind strayed as he walked, venturing into far flung corners, examining thoughts he had placed aside for the time being when first conceived. For the past three days he had felt unnerved as he traveled, as if someone was watching him. He rarely worried about such feelings because usually he was traveling with Ike, who took the brunt of any physical attack. Being alone though, it made Soren realize all over again how nice it was having a friend who would take an arrow for you, and had many times in the past. It reminded him of how it used to be, before he had met Greil, or Ike, and why he had resolved to place his trust in people one more time.

Soren's spine began tingling. There it was, that unshakable feeling of being watched. He shifted and the elixir in his robes tumbled to the ground. As he bent to pick it up he peered past his arm, looking down the stretch of road behind him. Nothing moved, but something was there. He rose, placed the elixir back inside its pocket, and continued on. His mind sorted methodically through the possibilities, checking them off one by one.

If it was another bandit he should have attacked by now, as they weren't the type for subtly. If it wasn't a bandit, it could be a morph, but once again he dismissed it. If he had been spotted leaving Bern he wouldn't have gotten across the border, let alone this close to Pherae. Unfortunately those were the only plausible options at the moment, so he moved to the farfetched.

He smiled slightly, his mind filling with conspiracy theories; ghosts come back from the dead, and Ashera returning bent on revenge. None of those seemed particularly likely either. Slowly he came to a halt, his smile quickly turning upside down. He mind had gone to Nasir, and quickly settled on a possibility. The dragon was the type to have a trump card, hidden away from everyone no matter who it was. With that thought Soren brushed the subject aside; for the time being he had miles of road to deal with.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Soren stretched out next to his campfire, reflecting on the day. It could have been his last one on the road, but he had stopped early, choosing to go off the beaten path, tramp around the forest while making more noise than a dying raven, and generally make a spectacle of himself. He had then picked a nice spot to camp, at the bottom of a ravine with only one way out, and counted gold for the next three hours while praying quite loudly to Elimine for safe travels.

Now it was dark and the waxing moon was just beginning to peek over the horizon. Soren turned onto his side, his head resting on his pack, and closed his eyes. Tonight he would force Nasir's hand. He waited, feeling the heat of the fire dissipate as the flames died down, turning into coals that glowed dimly in the low pit. He sighed, and began to breathe slowly. After a few moments he heard a twig snap, followed by a series of muffled footsteps.

He cracked an eye open, and from the little light that was left he watched a long shadow fall over him. The laugh of a man drunk on his own success filled the night air, and then Soren heard something move, whistling through the air. It was followed by a gasp and a gurgle as someone fell on top of him, warm blood soaking his clothes. Soren bolted upright, throwing the dead man off and whirling around.

The night remained silent. After a moment Soren spoke, "Come out. I know you're still watching."

Another moment passed. Soren did not speak again, but listened. The crickets began to chirp, filling the void of silence that had followed the bandit's death. Finally a single point of light appeared, a cherry red glow burning out of the darkness.

"…think you're smart?"

The voice was not angry, but genuinely inquiring after an answer.

Soren stood, discarding his bloody cloak, "Smart enough…how long have you been here?"

"Much longer than you'd think."

"When did you start following me?" he continued, moving towards the light, but stopping as it moved away.

"Three days ago. I was on my way back."

"…right," Soren said, running over his options, "I assume since you followed me, I'm priority."

"Yeah. You, or whoever else was going to bring the news back."

"Then I'm relieving Nasir of his role as puppeteer," Soren answered.

"That was the idea, although I don't think he wanted it to happen so soon."

"Too bad," Soren said quickly, "Now, you're going to Pherae ahead of me, I want the castle checked out before I get there. I don't want morphs running amok when I arrive."

Soren heard a guttural 'humph' of affirmation before the glow disappeared and a dark figure moved through the trees, leaving behind nothing but the scent of sweet smoke. Soren sat back down and rested his head against his pack once again. He was going to have a talk with Nasir the next time he saw him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Soren stopped, staring up at the castle that loomed over the town. He had traveled slowly for the entire day, making sure he arrived at night. He had stopped only once to buy a loaf of bread from a street vendor. His stomach had made the strangest hissing noise when he had eaten it—it had actually been a bit disturbing. After that he had continued on, moving towards the visible, but distant, castle. Now he was here and night had just begun to fall.

He shrugged, moving his small pack higher up on his shoulder, and set off, making for the castle's side entrance. The castle would be clear of any morphs by this point, if there been any to begin with, which he highly doubted. Soren slowed as he reached the gate and knocked twice, his knuckles eliciting two sharp raps. After a moment a face appeared over the castle ramparts, touting a shaggy mane of teal hair.

"Who are you and what do you…Soren?" Lowen said, peering down at him.

"Yes. Open up, now," the mage answered.

Lowen said nothing, but quickly disappeared, and after moment the gate swung open.

"Soren, you got here at the worst possible time," Lowen said, dragging him inside and closing the gate, "Jaffar is fighting a morph in the training grounds. The only reason I heard you was because I was going to get Marcus."

"He's fighting a morph? Are you sure?" Soren asked.

"Well," Lowen said, "Yeah. At first he said he wasn't, but then he gave up and started fighting with Jaffar. That was a little weird; they usually don't talk at all."

Without a word Soren dropped his bag and ran off, leaving Lowen in his wake as he raced for the courtyard; there was only one person who came to mind at the moment who could stand up to Jaffar. Soren's feet pounded on the trampled grass of the jousting run as he sped across the training grounds, heading for what looked like a figure rolling madly on the ground. In truth it was two figures, and as Soren arrived he saw Jaffar on the ground, grappling with an assailant. Jaffar had lost a dagger, and was using his free hand to try and pin the other man down.

Soren watched, if only for a moment, taking it in. It was eerie, how silent it was, the two men only making occasional grunts as they strained to overpower the other. Jaffar had a long cut on his forearm, and both of the other man's shoulders were bleeding. It was clearly a life or death battle, and yet the two were calm. It was just business. The stranger pushed Jaffar off with his legs and sprung backwards, blade dancing to deflect attacks as Jaffar pursued. Two more strokes and they both had new cuts, blood pouring down skin that was already slick with sweat and grime.

"Jaffar, stop," Soren said, his tone more commanding than he had intended. Jaffar ignored him and the mage whirled around, running straight into Eliwood who was advancing on the scene with rapier drawn.

"Eliwood, call him off," Soren said, pointing to Jaffar.

"Soren?" Eliwood said, his stern gaze disrupted by a ripple of confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"It doesn't matter right now," Soren answered, his voice slightly agitated, "Call Jaffar off before one of them gets killed, and don't think it won't be Jaffar."

"Wha-"

"Do it."

Eliwood bit back another inquiry before turning to the two, "Jaffar! Stand down."

At that, the fighting ceased. Jaffar stopped, bounced back a few feet and moved to one side, his gaze still fixed on his opponent. The man straightened up, his eyes moving from one person to another before settling on Soren.

"Took you long enough," he said.

"I said check out the castle, not get into a fight. I didn't suspect you of such incompetence," Soren replied.

The man said nothing, but removed a pipe from his sleeve, lighting it with practiced ease.

Soren was about to continue when Eliwood interrupted, his tone irritated, "Soren! What is going on here? Why are you back, and who is this?"

Soren stopped, turned to look at Eliwood, and sighed.

"This," he answered, gesturing to the man, "Is Nasir's idea of a contingency plan."

"But who _is_ he?" Eliwood pressed.

"His name is Volke, and he's whoever you want him to be, for a price," Soren answered, "And for now he's mine. How long do I have you?"

Volke said nothing, but took a deep drag on his pipe before exhaling, the thick smoke roiling from his nostrils. Soren walked over, looking up at the taller man, "Well?"

"However long you need. Nasir already dealt with payment," he answered.

"It must have been disgusting how much he paid you," Soren muttered, calculating such a cost. From his past experience with the man, he knew it must have been a mountain of gold.

"Not really," Volke answered.

Soren looked up, "To go to a new world? You want me to believe you came all the way here for something halfway reasonable?"

"Payment is to be received upon completion of the job," Volke replied.

Soren nodded, "Of course…you couldn't possibly haul that much gold around. So, what's 'the job'?"

"You and Ike," Volke answered, taking another drag on his pipe, "To find you and bring you back."

"You know that's not happening," Soren replied quickly.

"Not now, no. There were stipulations in the job description. To 'locate the targets and aid them in their endeavors until such a time as they may be escorted home,' were the exact words," Volke said.

Soren's eyebrow arched slightly, "Aid them in their endeavors? Nasir must have broken the bank for that line alone. How long have you been here?"

"Nasir sent me through a few weeks after you failed to show up in Goldoa."

"What have you been doing the entire time?" Soren questioned. He had no doubt whatever Volke had been up to was useful, but he wanted to know.

"Covering you. My orders were to stay hidden until you found me out, or Nasir said otherwise. If it was the first option, you were to assume control. Nasir wasn't planning on that happening so early though."

"You've been in contact with him then?" Soren asked.

"Yeah. About a week after his group arrived I found him. He told me to continue with my previous business," Volke answered.

"You must have been on your way to Bern when you found me, to talk to Nasir about something no doubt…what was your previous business?" Soren asked.

Volke fell silent for a moment before speaking, "I was checking up on certain assets."

"Assets? You're being deliberately cryptic, what-"

Soren stopped as Ninian arrived on the scene, her face flushed and her breathing unsteady. It seemed as if she had been running.

"Is something wrong Ninian?" Eliwood asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Him," she said quietly, staring at Volke, "He was the one…the one who asked me about Durandal."

"Him?" Eliwood said, looking at Volke again, sizing the man up.

Ninian nodded, and Soren turned on Volke.

"Was that one of the 'assets'?" he asked.

"You want an official report, find me later, I'm tired of these questions. Besides, five's a crowd," he said, and disappeared into the evening twilight as only an assassin could.

"Soren, what's going on?" Eliwood asked, desperate to get to the bottom this confusing mess.

"Let's go inside," Soren said, "I can explain later."

Eliwood agreed and the five headed into the castle. As they entered Soren made for Eliwood's study, but stopped as the Marquess placed a hand on his shoulder. Soren complied and followed them to the dining hall. As they pushed the doors open the mage stopped, looking around at the transformed room. Bed's lined the far wall, and the tables had been pushed to the side, leaving a large, open space in the center. Everyone was milling about, talking with each other as if it were a normal get together.

"What is this?" Soren asked, following Raven and Lucius with his eyes as they moved around, speaking with individuals.

"We both have questions that need answering," Eliwood said, "I suppose I'll go first. About ten days ago, Nino gave birth to her daughter…"

Eliwood trailed off, watching as Soren looked around the room. The mage spotted Nino in the far western corner; she was sitting on a bed, her knees drawn up to her chin, staring blankly at the space in front of her. There was no baby in her arms.

He looked back at Eliwood, "It was a stillbirth?"

Eliwood shook his head, "No. She was killed. A morph came in the night, wounded Sain and would have killed Nino too if Jaffar hadn't shown up."

Soren brought a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose, "They killed an infant?"

No one spoke, and as Soren looked from one face to another Ninian answered.

"Soren, they turned her into a morph," she said, her tone sorrowful, weary.

Soren's face twisted into a deep frown, "What? That makes no sense."

"They were trying to get at Jaffar, to make him leave. We're still afraid he might," Eliwood answered.

Soren looked around and realized Jaffar was no longer with them. He looked back at Nino and found the man at her side, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her arms were wrapped around him, but her face retained its blank stare.

"They're in their own little world," Eliwood continued, "He only came out in the past few days, and only because Nino finally started speaking to him again. If something were to happen to her though, he would leave, just to protect her."

"So that's why you're all in here," Soren said, drawing his own conclusion as he looked around the hall, "And Nino blames Jaffar?"

Eliwood sighed, "He was the one who put Leila, their daughter, to rest. She blames him for that. In her eyes there was hope…"

"Where there was none," Soren finished, "I understand now."

"Good. Let's get off this grim topic, we had thought we wouldn't be speaking of it for some time," Eliwood said, "Now Soren, what are you doing here? Did you find Ephidel, or are the others-"

"No," Soren said, interrupting him, "They're still in Bern; I came to tell you that Bern plans to march on Pherae at the end of the month."

"The end of the month?" Eliwood repeated. His face paled slightly, but he took the news in stride.

"Yes. Bern was offering a peerage to strong mercenaries, and the title of general. That's how we crossed the border. The king chose four mercenaries who he thought were the strongest to lead his armies, although you can be sure it was only with the help of Ephidel's guiding hand that he chose them," Soren answered.

"Ephidel's gotten that close to the king, that he can choose his generals?" Eliwood asked, "Is Ike one of them?"

Soren nodded, "Yes. I was as well, for a time. At the moment we're still unsure of what Ephidel is planning to use the quintessence for, but I'm sure a talk with Volke will clear it up. Before that though, we need to discuss battle tactics. We have two weeks and you know that's the blink of an eye during wartime."

"We'll never be able to get the word out to enough of Elibe," Eliwood said, "We can't possibly defend against Bern on such short notice."

"I wasn't finished," Soren said testily, "Defending never crossed my mind—we're going to attack."

He turned as Lowen coughed, "Yes?"

"Well it's just that, if we can't defend, how can we attack?" he asked.

"Bern won't be expecting it. Cliché as it seems, we will have the element of surprise. Besides that, Ike may be controlling Bern's standard troops as well as its mages now that I'm gone. The rest of our group has been integrated into Bern's mercenaries; they'll be able to take care of the general that leads them. The only wild card is the last general, who's controlling Bern's wyverns."

"Soren that all sounds good, but honestly it assumes too much," Eliwood said, "What if they chose a new general to take your place? What if Ike's found out? There are a thousand different things that could go wrong."

"Ephidel would be forced to make a hasty decision, I doubt he would feel comfortable picking a new general at this point," Soren answered.

"But what if he does?" Eliwood pressed.

Soren sighed, gathering his considerable wit before speaking, "All right. Assuming he does I can tell you right now who it will be. He doesn't like the man, but he's the best for the position."

Eliwood's brow arched, "Who? How could you know something like that?"

"You know a man named Karel? It will be him," Soren answered.

Eliwood's brow rose another half inch, "Karel is in Bern? I'm…not sure if that's a good thing. I'll have to send a message to Hector, ask if Lyn knows anything more…"

Eliwood trailed off as he tried to decide if this new development was worth worrying over.

"It's a good thing, I assure you. Karel knows what is going on; he has his eye on Zephiel. Ike told me they're going to try and turn the prince before Bern marches," Soren answered, "All in all we have more advantages than you'd think, most of which revolve around us striking first. We need to, Eliwood."

Eliwood was silent, his brow furrowed as he struggled through a moment of pained indecision. At last he nodded, "What's your plan?"

"Send word to Hector, we'll need Ostia's help. I haven't seen Matthew, hopefully he's already found out the same thing we have and made it back, but we can't bank on that assumption," Soren said, "Second, how many men does it take to guard this castle? Not during wartime, just regular shifts."

"About a hundred," Eliwood answered.

"Okay, we'll leave seventy-five here. The rest of Pherae's army will be prepared to march in three day's time," Soren answered, "Include that in your message to Hector, tell him to do the same."

"That will leave the castle severely undermanned," Lowen noted.

"Yes it will, but it will bolster our attack force. In wartime you always leave a moderate defensive vanguard at home, this time we're cutting ours considerably. If Ostia does the same it should increase our attack force by one and a half. Now, we'll be leaving before Ostia so make sure Hector knows he can't waste time making a decision, he needs to get his troops moving as soon as possible," Soren said.

Eliwood gave a halfhearted laugh, "Hector, wasting time on an important decision? Knowing him he'll make his troops march double time and get there first."

"Mhm," Soren mumbled, knowing the laughter was directed towards the madness of it all, "So, let Marcus know and get the men ready. Also, it would be best if we could keep up an appearance of normalcy. I know it will be hard with so many of our troops gone, but the fewer people who know what we're up to the better. Remove all insignias from our men's armor, and paint it black."

"Of course," Eliwood nodded.

"Good. Is there anything else then?" Soren asked.

"Yes," Ninian said, surprising them all, "…Sain and Kent. They have no idea what's going on."

"Where are they?" Soren asked, slightly perturbed by this new wrinkle.

"We don't know," Eliwood sighed, "Sain left after Leila's funeral. We think he's going to see Bramimond though, and I let Kent go after him. Chances are Sain's going to find Erk first, he's one of two people on Elibe who can send him to Bramimond."

Soren's brow furrowed as he thought, "There's no way of letting them know?"

"Well we could try, but-"

"Let me go."

The group turned as Fiora approached, her expression clearly worried. It was no secret she was close to Sain, and Kent was something else all together. The two were seen together whenever time allowed, which wasn't often considering their duties, not to mention personalities. Two honor bound soldiers, too uptight to come out and say what they were thinking.

"Someone needs to tell Kent… and Sain," she said, adding Sain as an afterthought.

"Will you get there in time?" Eliwood asked, not bothering to point out she hadn't been included in the conversation.

"Not to march with you, but if we go straight to Ostia we might be able to come with Hector," she answered.

"Then go," Eliwood said.

Fiora blinked, "Just like that?"

"Yes, just like that. Normally I'd like to think it over, but Soren has made it clear that we don't have time to think," Eliwood answered.

Fiora's relief showed through her smile as she spoke, "Thank you, Eliwood."

Eliwood nodded absentmindedly and then looked at Soren, "Is there anything else?"

"No, but I'm going to have a talk with Volke, I'll let you know if anything turns up," he said.

They watched as Soren left the dining hall, pausing to grab a loaf of bread off a nearby table. After the doors had closed Pent broke off his conversation with Louise and the two made their way through the crowded room.

"Who was that?" Pent asked, coming up next to Eliwood.

"That was Soren," he answered, "I told you about him, didn't I?"

"Ah," Pent said, "That's Soren? You told me he was a mage; you didn't say he reeked of magic. Until you entered the room I thought Sain had returned, and brought Bramimond with him."

"He reminds you of Bramimond?" Eliwood asked, considering the notion.

Pent nodded, a shallow smile on his face, "Very much so. I wasn't sure what to think when you told me he was half dragon, but now I see; that boy can't be entirely human. What did he have to say?"

Eliwood's face fell as he answered, "War. We're going to war, and a secret one at that."

"A secret war?" Louise mused, "That a rather difficult thing to keep secret."

"Yes it is," Eliwood agreed, "but get ready, because we're doing it. Pherae and Ostia are once more going to war for a cause no one will remember."

"I think I'd prefer it that way," Pent answered, his smile widening as he looked around the room.

Eliwood looked at him for a moment, following his gaze, and could help the small smile that crept onto his face as well. He knew what Pent was talking about, and he had to agree. If he had to fight, there was no one else on Elibe he would rather have at his side.

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**And so another player comes to light. I was truely hoping I had kept you guessing up until this chapter, although the hints may have been too obvious. Either way, I hope it is a welcome plot development and character addition, I love Volke. If you've got something to say, go ahead and drop me a review, otherwise I'll see you next update. **

**Twilight Rurouni**


	18. Chapter 18

**How do you spell forever? As in, "It's been forever since that Twilight Macaroni guy updated!" Yeah, sorry about that to those of you who are still reading by this point. And look, when I finally do update it's not even that long. Wow. Well, hopefully the content will make up for that. I know a lot's been happening, so maybe this will help clear some things up. Here's chapter eighteen.**

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Eliwood braced himself as a chill wind whistled through the trees, causing his cape to billow out behind him. He stood on a small hillock, overlooking the men that marched around him, breaking like waves on a rock as they filed around his vantage point. He looked around, taking in the scene. Silent troops, their faces darkened with ash and armor painted black, marched onward through the night. Eliwood looked up as the crescent moon appeared from behind the cloud cover, bathing them in its cold, pale light. They had been on the march for seven days; or rather seven nights, the lord mentally corrected.

They had left Pherae a week ago, under the cover of darkness, and had traveled at night ever since. It had been odd at first, sleeping during daylight hours, but it was necessary if they wanted to stay hidden. They had even taken to traveling through the forest as to avoid the prying eyes that were found along the main roads. This too hampered progress, as it was they would barely arrive in time, but it was also necessary. Seventy-five men had been left back at Castle Pherae—just enough to maintain some semblance of normalcy—and Eliwood rarely left the castle, so it was unlikely anyone would miss him. He sighed and looked at Soren, who stood next to him overseeing the troops' movements.

"How are they doing?"

"Fine…" Soren said, his manner offhanded as he craned his neck to watch the men, "That is to say, moral isn't up, but it's not down either; although I'm more concerned with Volke and Jaffar."

Eliwood nodded, the two men didn't seem to know what to do with each other. They were both so proficient it was actually causing problems. They had been told to circle the troops watching for morphs or anyone else that would alert Bern to their presence, but half the time they unwittingly ended up tailing each other.

"We could tell one of them to fall back, let the other work in peace for a while," Eliwood suggested.

"I would hate to have either of them sitting aside," Soren answered, "but you may be right. If they have another encounter I'll pull Volke out."

"Good…"Eliwood said, his mind drifting to what the assassin had told them before they left Pherae, "So, just to clarify, I think we need to go over what he said, one last time."

"I was going to say the same thing," Soren answered. The mage was being oddly agreeable.

"So from the beginning, he says that he came through a month after we didn't show up in Goldoa. Ike and I were two weeks late to begin with though when we came through, so he's been here nearly as long as us. He says the first thing he did was find a map and head for Bern. He said it was the biggest country and so the best place to start," Soren continued.

"Now, from there he ended up doing something similar to what we did, only much faster. Someone actually tried to recruit him, apparently a morph. He never found its name—which says a lot considering who he is—but from what he said it sounds like Limstella. I don't know why she bothered recruiting him; I would have thought she would try to take his quintessence right then and there. That's not to say she could have done it though."

"Ephidel may have wanted to take particularly strong quintessence himself," Eliwood offered.

"Yes, but we're still in the dark as to why," Soren agreed.

"Hopefully it has nothing to do with dragons…" Eliwood said, trailing off at the thought.

"Yes…although that brings us to Durandal, and Armads. Why would he want them for anything other than controlling dragons?" Soren asked, musing more to himself than anyone else.

Eliwood sighed, voicing his hopes aloud, "Perhaps it isn't that he wants them, but doesn't want _us_ to have them."

Soren didn't say anything, but cast a glance back at Eliwood's mount. Durandal was strapped to its side, running the length of the horse. The Marquess had disappeared shortly before their departure, returning with the sword in hand. It was light for such a large weapon.

"Let's hope so," Soren said finally, doubt evident in his voice as he stirred, mounting his own horse, "And please, see if you can get them into some sort of a line if at all possible. I think it would be a good idea to start double timing, Eliwood."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Hector! Calm down!"

Lyn stared up at her husband, who was holding a crumpled piece of parchment in one hand, looking at it with an accusatory expression as if it had caused him great offense.

"I am calm!" he bellowed.

Lyn sighed, it was true. Hector was holding together well considering what he'd just been told.

"Then can you at least stop yelling?" she asked, taking her husband's arm and gently removing the message from his fist.

Hector said nothing, but silently fumed. Lyn let it go at that and for the first time actually read the message herself. She frowned, and read it again. It was sudden, that was for sure, but the part that must have upset Hector was that last line, 'wait for Kent, Sain, and Fiora'. Waiting for anything drove Hector mad, especially when the lives of his friends were hanging in the balance. He really would go crazy if they didn't leave soon.

"Well?"

Lyn turned to the voice and handed the note over to Guy. He read it and whistled, his eyes dancing over the words one by one.

"Bern?" he said, looking up at Lyn, "That won't be easy, and what's this about waiting? Couldn't we send half the army out first to meet up with Eliwood? I'd be happy to go."

Lyn gave a short laugh, "I know you would, and so would Hector, but splitting up our forces wouldn't help anyone. We'll have to wait; hopefully they'll get here soon."

"That's not going to be fun," he said, handing the note back, "Waiting for just three people."

"No," Lyn agreed, eyeing Hector; he had sat down on the throne and begun viciously sharpening his axe, "But it's not _just_ three people. Would you go tell Oswin? He's supposed to be here, but there were some new recruits that needed a talking to."

Guy absentmindedly twirled his sword, "Yeah sure."

Lyn watched him go and then turned to Hector, not saying a word.

"Lyn," he said, dragging the whetstone across his axe one last time before setting it aside, "I am calm. Or as calm as I'll get."

"You need something to distract you," she answered, the hilt of her Mani Katti rising an inch from its sheath.

"Not now Lyn," Hector said, "I can't even think straight. I don't know how Uther did all this. It's been three years and I still can't manage the way he did."

"You probably never will," Lyn replied.

Hector straightened, startled by her reply. He hadn't anticipated such an answer; it was something he would have expected from someone callous, who got straight to the point. Someone like Ike, or Soren or…Hector smiled. It was something he himself would say.

Lyn caught the smile, and returned it with her own, "Don't rule like your brother, Hector."

"I can't," he replied, "So why worry about things I can't change?"

Lyn nodded and turned, "You've said that to Eliwood before, you should take your own advice. I know Kent; he'll be here in time. I'm going to tell Serra what's going on."

Hector watched her go, smiling as she braced herself to open the heavy wooden doors, and then sat back, relaxing on the throne. He could wait, he would have to. Besides, Matthew wasn't back either. Hector frowned, the thought suddenly seemed foreign. Matthew wasn't back yet? It never took him long to dig up anything. Hector shrugged as if to shake off the worry, this wasn't the easiest of jobs. It was Ephidel after all; surely it would take even Matthew longer than usual. The spy always had a way out though, he was probably fine…

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Matthew."

Matthew rolled over, holding his hands to either side of his head as he tried to shut out the voice. _That_ voice, that breathy, sighing voice. It haunted him, played with his mind. He had almost broken several times now. If only he could hold out a little longer.

"Matthew…"

"Shut _up!_" he hissed, rolling over and looking towards the wall.

A vein in his forehead pulsed as blood trickled from a day-old head wound. He listened, his breathing labored as he waited for the voice to disobey. After a moment he relaxed.

"Please Matthew…"

Matthew screamed and covered his ears, crawling on his knees to the single stone bench in the room.

"Shut up!" he shouted, grabbing a hold of it with both hands, "I'll do it again!"

"Matthew, you'll hurt yourself, why are you doing this?"

"_Stop it_!" he shouted, his voice frenzied as he reared back and struck the stone with his head, a dull crack resonating softly.

Matthew gasped and fell onto one side, his head bleeding anew, mumbling softly, "Stop it…leave me alone."

"Matthew, why are you saying that? Do you want me dead? Is there someone else, is that why you wish me dead?"

"I don't wish you dead, you _are_ dead," Matthew answered, his speech slurred as he rose to his knees, bringing his head back for another blow. He had knocked himself out once; he would do it again, if only to shut her up. Shut _it_ up.

"Your parents."

Matthew stopped, his head inches from the stone. His chest heaved, "What?"

"Your parents Matthew…that was the last thing you said to me before we parted ways…you said I had to meet your parents."

Matthew's breathing quickened, his eyes rolling around in his head as he tried to think. Was that true? What did that mean? It was so hard to think these days…how long had he been here?

"So…" he said slowly, "What does that prove?"

"Who would know that besides me? Please Matthew, believe me."

"How can I believe someone who's dead…" he asked, "You're dead. I saw your body. Jaffar killed you; he named his daughter after you _because_ he killed you. He propped you up on the beach, like a scarecrow."

"No. That wasn't me. It was a morph Matthew, are you listening to me? A _morph_."

"No...no. It was you. I knew you…I held you, carried you, and buried you. You're not real. Stop doing this to me," he whispered, eyeing the bench, rubbing his thumb over its corner.

"Matthew! How can you say that? I've been here for three years, not knowing what happened to Nergal. I thought _you_ were dead, along with everyone else, I never thought I would see you again. Now you're here and you don't believe a word I'm saying."

Matthew turned, pointing an accusatory finger at the wall, "No! You shouldn't be talking at all, so listen to me and stop!"

"…Solomon."

"What?" Matthew said, "Did you say _Solomon_? What the-"

"That was his name…was going to be his name."

"Whose?" Matthew said, his brow furrowing. What was she talking about?

"Our first child…we were going to name him Solomon, Matthew."

Matthew's nostrils flared as his chest rose and fell, marking the mad tempo of his heart, "What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember…"

She sounded sad now. As if she had been holding out for something and her fears were suddenly realized.

"Wait…we…Solomon?" Matthew said, trying to rack his brain. He couldn't remember, why couldn't he remember? Everything was so foggy; he could hardly remember how he'd gotten here in the first place. Had they ever talked about that?

"Yes…"

Matthew cradled his head in both hands, his fingers clawing at his temples, "But I don't…we never talked about…"

"It was just before I left on this job, not that you knew it. We were in your room. I had just gotten back from speaking with Uther, and I owed you a silver sword."

"But you hated to owe anyone," Matthew said, "You would never-"

"I hadn't borrowed anything! You gave me a silver sword, like a bolt from the blue, and I wasn't going to let you hold _that_ over my head. Don't you remember? You opened the door and I nearly fed the thing to you. I said we were even."

Matthew didn't speak, his breathing the only noise in the small room. It sounded like something he would do. He had always done things to get under her skin, annoy her, just to hear her yell at him. But why couldn't he remember? He turned, crawling to the small hole in the side of his cell. He lowered his head, peering through the bars into the cell next to his.

"…I can't see you," he said, looking for the source of the voice.

"Matthew I'm right here," the voice was closer, "You can't see me, I'm right next to you, on the other side of the wall."

Matthew's inhibitions were suddenly gone and he reached through, feeling along the wall.

The voice laughed, something he had often dreamed of in the three years gone by, but never thought he would hear, "Your hand, it's an inch from my foot Matthew."

Matthew stretched, but found he was at his limit.

"Matthew…what's going on? Why are you here?"

Matthew sighed and turned his back to the cold stone, "I can hardly remember anymore. Lord Uther…he sent me here…maybe I was supposed to find you."

"Lord Uther?" the voice held a twinge of confusion, "…why would he send you here? I'm dead to Ostia…"

Matthew's eyes narrowed and he paused, catching the hesitation in the voice, "You were his favorite…even if he never said it. He just wouldn't let you die…"

"Lord Uther…how is he?"

Matthew said nothing, but sat, enjoying the cold stone at his back, the one thing he was sure of at the moment. He could feel it coming back though, the haze in his mind was fleeing like fog before a torch. He was in Bern. He had no idea how long he had been here by this point, but Ephidel had captured him, intent on learning what he had been sent for.

Ephidel had strapped him to that stone chair for days, doing things he still couldn't remember. Then Matthew had awoken from a blackout in this room and it had started talking to him. He could hardly think straight in the beginning, no longer knowing what was real. It insisted it was her, but Matthew hadn't been able to accept that; he didn't know why, it sounded just like her, but he had gone so far as to knock himself out to simply make it be quiet. Matthew's hand went to his head as his eyes went to his arms, covered in cuts and ugly, yellow bruises. How had they gotten there? Perhaps Ephidel…he certainly hadn't done that to himself. He was still missing part of the picture.

"I can hear it in your voice…" Matthew said slowly.

"What?"

Matthew rose and walked to the stone bench, "I surprised you, didn't I, with that Uther bit? He's long since dead, I know that, and more importantly you know that."

"Matthew…"

"Stop. I don't know what's going on, but you're not Leila…" he murmured, rolling over onto his side, his back to the wall, "You're not Leila…and I hate the name Solomon."

Matthew heard it sigh, "Tch. So be it."

Suddenly he was on fire, his back arching, his spine screaming as he rolled off the bench and onto the floor, feeling for all the world like a rag doll in the hands of a child. He screamed—the sensation of having one's life torn away was indescribable, and he wished for nothing more than the end he knew was coming. Whether it be rescue by the hands of his friends or death by Ephidel's, the last thought that ran through his head was that he simply wanted an end. Darkness encroached on his vision, and he felt his body relax as he slipped into unconsciousness. Here was his end.

Ephidel lowered his hand and glanced at the morph next to him, his voice disgusted, "Go get him."

The morph nodded, "Yes Ephidel."

"And Limstella," he said, watching her walk from the room, "He needs to be broken this time. I need more than parting words and conversations that never happened."

"Yes Ephidel," she answered, her voice jumping an octave to its natural register, "He will be broken before Bern marches."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Lord Hector!"

Hector stirred, his mind shaken as Oswin entered the throne room, his chest heaving.

"Been running, Oswin? What is it?" he asked.

"It's Kent, my Lord, as well as Sain and Fiora, they've just arrived," he gasped, "but Sain isn't well. He's babbling like an idiot, and I do not mean his usual antics. Something is wrong with him."

Hector rose, instantly in command, "Go get Lyn and Serra, I'll go see Kent. They're at the main entrance?"

Oswin nodded and Hector strode from the room, all thoughts of Matthew pushed from his mind. Besides, he was sure the man was fine.

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**So, any guesses as to the next chapter's content? Anyway, I tried to move the plot forward with this while at the same time give your confused heads a brief re-cap as to the goings on of ToaHaHD. Now, time for a quick ramble about Leila's voice. I always imagined her with a deeper voice, nothing that wasn't feminine, but for me it adds to her competent and serious demeanor. High voices are usually for the cute adorable types...and Serra. Okay, I'm done, thanks for reading and happy holidays! Hope you all eat too much and still manage to maintain your weight! If you've got time drop me a review, if not then I'll see you next update, which hopefully won't take so long.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	19. Chapter 19

**Yeah I'm still working on this, in case you were wondering. I'm going to stop apologizing though, there's a point where it loses its meaning. Just know that I will finish this story. The end is actually in sight, and I can hardly believe it. Not that I'm happy, just surprised that I'm almost through a multi-chapter fic. Anyway, here's chapter nineteen. It's quite long, so hopefully it will make up for the time it took me to update. Enjoy.**

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Hector burst through the front doors of the castle to find Kent, Fiora, and Sain on the steps. Kent and Fiora were struggling with Sain, who was thrashing about, trying to escape their grip, "Unhand me, I need to give him his book!"

"What's going on?" Hector barked, "We don't have time for this!"

"I'm sorry, but he's been having these fits the entire way back," Kent answered, "It was all we could do to keep him tied down."

Hector looked from one knight to the other before boxing Sain on the chin. The blow lifted him onto his toes before he crashed to the stairs, unconscious.

"There. Now, what's going on? And you can tell me as we walk; we have no time to stand around," Hector ordered.

"Ah, well…" Kent answered, looking at Fiora before launching into a lengthy explanation; this would take a while.

_~five days previous~_

Sain peered over the dune, his brown hair poking up like a patch of dying grass.

'_This is ridiculous,'_ he thought, looking at the figure, cloaked in black, which was making its way across the sands, _'How did it get ahead of me?'_

He moved backwards, working his way down the dune on his stomach as he tried to ignore the sand that forced entry into the most uncomfortable places. He had left Ryerde three days ago, riding like his horse had wings instead of legs. How had this morph managed to get ahead of him, and on foot too? He stood as he reached the bottom of the dune and walked to his horse, he would have to wait until the morph crested the next dune before he could follow. He didn't quite know how he was going to get _past_ it when the time came.

"Cross that bridge when we get there," he muttered, taking a hold of his steed's face and stroking her nose.

As he waited though, he knew that there was the distinct possibility he was already on that bridge, and it was burning fast.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Kent peered over the dune, his red hair looking for all the world like a patch of grass lit aflame by the scorching sun.

'_This is ridiculous,'_ he thought, looking at the figure, cloaked in black, which was making its way across the sands, _'I finally catch up and it has to be the morph I find first. Sain's probably farther ahead…'_

He shifted his weight, grimacing slightly at the sound of the sand on his armor; he would have to clean it later. It had been three days since he'd left Ryerde, and he had hoped it would be Sain he found first. Of course it made sense that he wound up tailing the morph, but that didn't mean it was any less troubling. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he surveyed the rolling dunes. Maybe he could move around to the right, flank the morph and catch it off guard before it had a chance to catch up with Sain.

Kent frowned, _'No. The better plan would be to follow, let it catch up with Sain, and then kill it while it's occupied with…'_

His thoughts derailed as he looked to his left and saw a patch of wilted grass disappear, sucked into the very sand it had been growing in. Kent's left brow rose slightly and he turned around, sliding down the dune on his backside to where his horse was waiting at the bottom. Was there another morph? But why would it be hiding? He took the reins and made his way to the left, his footfalls muffled by the shifting sands.

Kent circled around; making sure his path was wide enough so that he wouldn't stumble onto this new arrival before he wanted to. He stopped at the foot of another large dune and dropped the reins, climbing up the mound of sand on all fours. Sweat glistened on his upturned face as he kept his eyes focused on the dune's crest, hair plastered to his forehead as if he'd been wearing a helmet. As he neared the top he lowered himself onto his stomach and continued, inching forward until he could see the top of the dune directly in front of him. After a moment he moved forward again, looking down into the valley between the two mountains of sand. His breath caught in his throat, and his eyes narrowed. He brought a hand to his face, wiping away the sweat that stung his eyes and looked again.

There, standing next to a horse, was a man that definitely looked like Sain. He was wearing green armor at least, but from that distance it was so hard to tell. Then again, who else could it be? Kent exhaled heavily, ignoring the sand that blew up into his face, and decided there was nothing else to do. He carefully crested the dune and slid down the other side, a hand on his sword the entire time. When he reached the bottom he stopped, straightening from his crouched position, and sighed. It was Sain.

"Sain," he said, his voice breaking the silence that had pervaded the entirety of his trip.

The man whirled around, snatching a lance off the side his horse before he realized who it was.

"Kent?" he said, the lance head lowering as he stared at his friend, "Kent, what are you doing here? And how did you find me? I thought I could have lost anyone with that switchback I pulled right before Ryerde…"

"I had an idea of where you were going; I didn't need to track you. Besides, a fool follows a fool's path best," Kent answered.

Sain frowned, "I haven't heard that one before."

Kent laughed, "That's because I made it up, but that doesn't mean you're not a fool Sain, and I'm not a fool for following you. What were you thinking, leaving like that?"

Sain sighed, his face pensive as he leaned on his horse, "What was I thinking? I was thinking you were right Kent, I'm no knight. I didn't know what I was…I still don't, but I want to find out."

"And you think talking to Bramimond will give you an answer?" Kent asked.

Sain shrugged, "It makes sense to me."

Kent took a minute to gather his thoughts before speaking, "Sain, it's not about making sense. Maybe you didn't know what you were, but a knight always knows what he should be, and works towards that no matter what."

"That's works for you, Kent," Sain answered, "I would expect that from you. But not everyone sees so clearly, or has so much faith in themselves."

Kent shook his head, "Not everyone is a knight, but you are Sain, so you _should_ see that clearly."

"…Kent, if someone placed an apple in front of you, and the whole world then told you it was a pear, you would say it's an apple without a second thought. It doesn't matter what people tell you, you know what's true. That's not how it works for everyone Kent and I need my answer," Sain replied, "Like I said, I don't see so clearly."

Kent sighed, "Is there anything you know for certain, Sain?"

"Yes, but sadly romance has nothing to do with what's going on right now. Or does it? You didn't happen to bring Fiora along, did you?" Sain smiled, looking over Kent's shoulder as if he expected the pegasus knight to appear over the horizon at any minute.

"Sain, be serious," Kent said, "Of course I didn't bring Fiora, I don't see why I would."

"That's because _you_ don't see so clearly," Sain laughed, wondering if it was the desert heat that made his friend blush, "Now, what's it going to be? I'm not going back without a visit to Bramimond."

"…I'll come. But we're leaving as soon as possible, we have no idea what's going on at home," Kent answered.

"Good," Sain said, "Now, let's see if our friend has managed to get his pasty backside up that dune."

Kent let out a groan and the two knights made their way through the sand, slowly peering over the top and looking at the desert stretched out before them. The morph was not in sight and Sain gave Kent a slap on the back.

"Let's go," he said, "Now that you're here, dealing with him won't be such a hassle."

"Hassle," muttered Kent, sliding back down the dune, "This whole thing's a hassle."

Sain waited as Kent went back up and down the dune to their back, walking his horse around after reaching the other side, and soon the two were off, weaving their way between towering mountains of sand. As they walked, leading their horses along, they tried to decide how to best deal with the morph.

"I say we just wait till it's in a valley and then charge the dastard," Sain said.

"That wouldn't be making very good use of the fact that it doesn't know where we are. It would take a full minute to run down these dunes," Kent answered, "and we don't know how strong it is."

"Then what do you suggest?" Sain asked.

"I think we should circle around in front of it, and rush in from the sides when it's in one of the valleys," Kent answered.

"We would have to move pretty fast to get in front of it," Sain said, "It moves like a thief on a stolen pegasus."

"True…"Kent mused, mulling the problem over as they continued on through the monotonous landscape.

"Well," he said after a moment, "It thinks it's after you. We could circle around, and then you could distract it while I come from behind to cut it down."

Sain thought about it for a minute before nodding, "All right, but I'll have you know playing the bait is hardly noble."

"_You're_ hardly noble; now come on, we need to find out where it is," Kent countered.

Kent smiled slightly as Sain feigned offense, "Kent! You wound me; you of all people should know that it is by actions, not blood, that nobility is defined."

Kent said nothing and Sain decided to follow his example, silently crawling up the sand until they reached the top. Neither spoke as they saw the morph, disappearing over the next dune. As soon as it was out of sight they moved, vaulting over the top and half running, half tumbling down the other side. When they reached the bottom Kent gave Sain a look. The other man nodded and they both drew their swords, heading in opposite directions around the dune.

Sain dropped to one knee, his chest heaving inside the heavy breastplate. He had managed to make it around the dune as the morph was just beginning to make its way up the next one. He took a moment to rest, listening to his heartbeat as it pounded in his ears. After the morph had made it part way up the dune Sain rose to his feet; Kent had better be ready because he couldn't wait any longer. He held his sword aloft, let out an appropriately dramatic war cry, and charged across the sand doing his best not to lose his footing.

The morph turned, not at all surprised to see him, and ran down the dune. Its feet hardly seemed to touch the sand as it moved, cloak flapping behind as it drew a thin, slightly curved sword. Sain's breath quickened at the sight of the blade, but neither his cry nor charge wavered. As he ran he spotted Kent, dashing out from behind the dune, sword raised. All was going according to plan, although it would have taken a real fool to bungle anything up to this point.

Sain turned his attention back to the morph and gave a final shout as they clashed, bringing his own sword against the morph's, hoping Kent would hurry it up a bit—at least, he thought he was bringing his sword against the morph's. Sain found that his sword had met no resistance, and couldn't help but wonder what was going on as he watched his blade sink into the morph's shoulder. As soon as the width of the blade was buried the morph whirled, tearing the sword from Sain's grip as it spun behind him, bringing its own blade to the knight's neck.

Kent came to a halt, watching as the morph quickly turned their plan upside-down.

"You thought I didn't know," it said. Its voice was breathy, quiet, even when compared to the desert's faint wind.

Kent blinked, but kept his arm raised. It had known all along?

"Drop the sword," it commanded, "You'll die either way, but it will buy you a painless-"

The morph suddenly convulsed and made hacking noises as an arrow sprouted from its neck, followed by another from its forehead. Kent could see the light fading from its eyes, but as it toppled over he watched its arm complete a lazy stroke, drawing the sword across Sain's neck.

"Sain!" Kent shouted, kicking the morph aside as he caught his friend. Sain had fallen to his knees, hands at his throat.

"M'fine!" the knight coughed, spraying the desert with globules of blood, while at the same time the red liquid leaked through his fingers, staining his breastplate.

"No you're not," Kent said, his voice calm, but his arms shaking as he realized they were out of vulneraries.

"He's fine."

Kent's head whipped around at the voice. A teenage girl was walking towards them, a bow in her hand and a frown on her face as she appraised the situation.

"Who are you?" Kent asked, reaching for his sword. Where had she come from?

"She's a friend."

Kent nearly lost control as another voice came again from behind him, and he whirled around to find a large, bare-chested man toting an axe like it was a parasol.

"Hawkeye?" he breathed, the sword slipping from his grip as he silently thanked Elimine.

"Kent, it has been a long time," Hawkeye answered, handing his axe to the girl as he knelt next to Sain, towering over the smaller man.

He pulled a small blue bottle from a leather pouch at his side and Kent let out a sigh.

"Here," the man ordered, "You usually pour it on the wound, but…you should probably just drink it."

Sain grabbed the bottle, his mangled throat moving up and down as he swallowed the liquid. After a minute he removed the bottle from his lips and fell backwards, kicking up a small cloud of sand. No one said anything for a while, but simply watched as Sain laid there, eyes closed, his chest rising and falling as he sucked in the desert air.

After a few minutes, Sain's eyes opened and he looked at Hawkeye, proffering the empty bottle.

"You drank the whole thing?" the man said, taking the bottle and tucking it away.

"Had to be sure," Sain answered, jumping to his feet and untangling his sword from the morph's now empty cloak.

"I'm sure Kent would have appreciated some restraint," the girl said, her heavy lidded gaze wandering over the two knights.

"I'll be fine," Kent answered, "and who are you, if I may ask?"

"I am Igrene," she answered, not bothering to offer any further explanation.

"She is my daughter, and a protector of this desert," Hawkeye added.

Sain laughed, "I always thought a desert was an odd thing to protect, but I'm certainly glad you've made a profession of it."

"He's the professional," Igrene said, pointing to her father, "I missed. If I had hit correctly the first time you wouldn't have been wounded."

"You corrected the problem pretty fast," Kent offered.

"I knew as soon as I released the arrow that it was a bad shot," she answered, "Doesn't change the fact that I missed."

"Igrene is still learning," Hawkeye said, cutting the conversation short, "Now for what have you come to Nabata? I never expected to see you here again."

Kent drew himself up, standing erect, "I'm sure Lord Pent informed you of the goings on in Pherae before he left, or least what he knew. Now we need to speak with Erk."

"This has to do with the morphs in Pherae?" Hawkeye asked, taking his axe from Igrene.

"Well…"Sain began.

"Yes," Kent finished, looking over at Sain.

Hawkeye rolled his massive shoulder as he thought about it before nodding, "Then we will take you to Master Erk. Come Igrene, you will scout ahead."

The girl nodded, running off through the sand while Kent, Sain, and Hawkeye followed behind. Sain smiled as he watched her go, dashing up one dune only to stop, survey the desert, and head for the next one. She reminded him of Rebecca, and for that he felt better. He couldn't help but think that perhaps things would start to go a little more smoothly.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Erk's eyes moved left, then right as he examined the pair of knights from behind a large, wooden desk. He had grown in the past three years, as had his hair, which he now wore in a loose tail thrown over one shoulder. He looked very much like Pent.

"So let me get this straight," he said, "You want me to send you to Bramimond, so that Sain can find out why he's an awful knight?"

Kent winced; it sounded so bad when he put it that way. Of course, he'd heard Erk was never one for sugar coating.

"Yes, if you must put it that way. But I believe Sain also had another request of Bramimond," Kent answered, giving his friend a sideways glance.

The knight nodded, but said nothing.

Erk's right eyebrow arched, "You know he won't grant that request. Ninian was special, and I'm not sure if it's even possible. From what you told me Nino's daughter is long since dead."

"Yes, but I still need to go," Sain answered.

Erk said nothing, but continued to stare them down, occasionally moving his gaze from one to the other. Finally he closed his eyes and rose from the chair, placing both palms on the desk, "Alright. I'll send you, but you will have to go alone. I have…_duties_ to see to, and Hawkeye must stay in the desert with Igrene."

Kent smiled and turned to look at Klein, who was watching Igrene's every move as she sorted through the arrows in her quiver.

"I can see that. I think we'll manage on our own," Kent replied, looking back at the sage.

Erk nodded, "Then I'll send you off tomorrow morning."

"Actually," Kent said quickly, rising out of his seat, "If you could, we would like to go now. We need to get home as soon as possible."

Erk took the request in stride, "All right then. Follow me."

"That was easy," Sain whispered as they followed the sage.

"Yes," Kent answered, "I never got to know him very well during the war, but I think he was expecting it."

Sain didn't answer as they reached the end of a long hall, stone columns erected along its length. At the end was a small stone dais. Intricate runes were carved around its base and it looked as old as Elibe itself.

"Please stand on the dais," Erk ordered, gesturing towards the raised platform.

"What did Hawkeye do with our horses?" Kent asked, turning to look at Erk as he mounted the three stairs that led to the dais.

"They are in one of the spare rooms that are no longer in use. They will be here when you return," Erk answered.

"About that," Sain said, "How are we supposed to get back?"

Erk laughed, "Bramimond doesn't like visitors, getting out is never the problem, it's staying long enough to talk to him. He will send you somewhere close to this building when it is time for you to leave."

Kent nodded, "I expected that, we'll think of something. Thank you again, Erk."

Erk waved the comment away, "I have little else to do at the moment. Now, please take your bags from Hawkeye."

The knights reached out to take their travel packs from the big man, slinging them over their shoulders before looking back towards Erk. He was consulting a small scroll and silently mouthing incantations. After a moment he tucked it into a sleeve and looked up.

"Right," he said, "Here we go, please hold still. I'm not as good as Lord Pent, not to mention Lord Athos, so I cannot do this on a whim. Do not step off the dais."

Erk's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowing so that it appeared he was glaring at the knights as he produced a staff from within his cape. He held it horizontally in front of him, placing a hand on the gem at its head. After a moment a blue light began to radiate from the gem and the runes surrounding the dais began to glow a dark yellow. A moment later a thin, ethereal beams of light appeared from Kent and Sain, apparently coming from within their bodies. They barely had time to look down at themselves in puzzlement before they disappeared.

Erk sighed, his face relaxing as he fastened the staff to the inside if his cape.

"Igrene," he said, turning around, "Would you please take Klein to the archery range? I have a scroll to transcribe. It won't be long, and then you can get back to the desert."

Igrene nodded, taking the small boy's hand and leading him off through the mammoth stone building, Hawkeye following close behind. Erk watched them go and then walked from the hall, pushing the knights far from his mind. He had done his part.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was quiet. That was the first thing Sain noticed. The second thing was the air; it felt like it hadn't been disturbed in ages. The third thing was that, for some reason, he could see. He had no idea where the light was coming from, it was very faint. He could see Kent standing next to him, taking in their surroundings.

"Well, we're here," Kent said, "Go find him. I'll follow."

"We're here…" Sain repeated. They were actually there, they had made it.

He moved, breaking the silence as he made his way across the stone floor. He knew they were underground somewhere, perhaps underneath the very building Erk lived in. That would explain why the sage was so confident they would be able to make their way back.

"Where do you think he is?" Sain asked, looking around the room.

"I don't know, the last time I was here Athos took us directly to him," Kent answered.

Sain didn't say anything, but kept walking. Eventually they reached the other side of the room.

"Well this is a letdown," Sain said, turning around and looking about the room again.

"It is rather odd," Kent replied, "What would…Sain, did you hear that?"

Sain had already turned to their right, "You mean that scraping noise? Yeah."

The two knights walked along the room's edge until they found a small tunnel hewn into the stone wall. Sain ducked, making his way into the tight space, Kent following close behind.

"Listen, there it is again," Sain whispered.

They both stopped as the tunnel came out into another room. It wasn't a big as the other, but the walls were covered in etchings and runes, and stalagmites jutted up at odd angles from the floor.

"Look," Kent said, pointing towards the center of the room.

Sain followed the gesture, his eyes narrowing as he squinted in the dim light. His eyebrows shot up. There was a sword stuck in a rock, placed in the very center of the room.

"Who sticks a sword in a piece of rock?" he asked, walking towards it, "And how is anyone supposed to get it out?"

"I don't know, maybe it's one of _those_ swords, like Lyn's Mani Katti," Kent answered.

As they drew near though, the knight stopped, placing his hand on Sain's shoulder, "Wait."

"What? Why? It's not like there's-"

Kent cut him off, whispering through the gloom, "Sain..."

Sain looked away from his friend and paled slightly. The rock was moving, only from this distance it was clear that it wasn't a rock. It was Bramimond. It slowly made its way across the floor, the sword in its side scraping against the ground as it moved, crawling towards the knights.

"Come on," Sain said.

The two rushed to its side, dismayed by the trail of dark, dried blood that led to its current location. Kent looked up, eyes followed the trail deep into other parts of the cave. How long had it been like this?

"Bramimond," Sain said, getting down on his knees next to the being, "What happened?"

Its face turned towards the knight, eyes eternally veiled by a deep hood, "Rotten curs, they came out of nowhere. Appeared out of thin air, I thought they were all in Bern. Somehow even _I_ didn't see it coming."

"Who?" Kent asked, already knowing the answer to his question.

Bramimond's voice dropped slightly as he looked at Kent, "Morphs. They're still here, run while you can, I'm already as good as dead. I'll try to hold them off."

"With a sword in your side? Are you mad?" Sain asked, "You have to come with us!"

Bramimond's voice leapt as he looked back at Sain, and but his face remained the same, forever locked in a stoic gaze, "No! It will be a valiant battle! Fought for honor, glory, and renown across Elibe! Go now, before-"

He grunted as a bolt of lightning struck him, the sword guiding the bolt into his body. The knights whirled around, catching a glimpse of a raven haired figure disappearing behind a stalagmite.

"Come on," Kent said, hoisting Bramimond onto his shoulders, "Get us out of here, we can manage the rest."

"No Kent, I told you, I'm gone," it panted, "I'm sorry to ask this of you, but give this to the boy; he'll know what to do with it."

The being reached into the folds of its robe and withdrew a slim, black tome. It had very few pages and a single rune etched into the cover on either side.

"Sain, take it," Kent ordered, "And what boy?"

Sain took the tome from Bramimond's hand as it spoke, "The boy, Kent, give it to him."

Bramimond gasped before struggled violently, forcing the knight to drop it onto the floor.

"Now," it whispered, rising to its knees, drawing a single ragged breath, "Go. They march for Bern within the week."

Kent shouted as light enveloped the two knights once again, but his words were lost as they disappeared. His last memory of Bramimond was the creature tearing the sword from its side and turning to face unseen enemies, arrows sprouting from his cloak like so many needles in a pin cushion. It was a heroic stand, but Kent knew how it would end. The last of the eight had died.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Bramimond!" Kent shouted, pounding a fist into the sand as he rematerialized in the desert.

He covered his eyes with one hand, panting heavily as he waited for his body to calm down. They had let Bramimond die. Not that they had much of a choice. Besides, as Kent looked up, he saw they had much bigger problems. Erk's residence was nowhere in sight.

"Sain…where are we?" he asked.

He didn't bother waiting for an answer, "Never mind, it doesn't matter where we are, we have to get back as soon as possible. Bramimond said they were marching on Bern within the week, I can only assume he meant Lord Eliwood, although I don't know why he would ever do such a thing."

Kent started off into the desert before stopping and turning around, now talking more to himself than Sain, "But we have no idea where we are! We'll have to wait until night and use the stars. We should walk around to the shady side of one of these dunes."

He headed for the nearest towering pile of sand before realizing Sain hadn't answered. In fact, amidst all his talking, Sain hadn't said a word.

"Sain?" Kent said, turning around.

The green clad knight was sitting in the sand, legs stretched out in front of him, staring at the tome he held in his hands. His gaze was glassy, as if he were staring at something no one else could see.

"Sain, stop sitting around, we need to move," Kent said, walking over to his friend.

The knight said nothing, but continued to stare at the book.

"Sain, we need to go," Kent repeated, reaching out for the tome.

Kent let out a shout as Sain's armored hand bashed him across the face and the knight backed away before falling prostrate once again.

"What are you _doing_?" Kent shouted, "Sain, we are going to _die_ out here unless we pull it together. We have no idea where Erk is, we have no horses, and no one is coming for us besides a few morphs. Stand up and give me the tome!"

Kent reached out again for the book, this time catching Sain's fist and driving his own into the man's gut. Sain heaved and fell limp in Kent's arms, gasping. Kent tried again to take the book, but Sain had it in a death grip.

"Fine," Kent said, grabbing his friend's collar and dragging him across the sand, "Keep it, but we're going to get out of here, even if I have to drag you the entire way.

Kent threw Sain into the shade provided by the dune and then fell onto his back, staring up at the clouds. Thankfully the sun was low in the western sky, it would be night soon enough. He turned his head to the side, eyeing Sain. His mouth was moving now and he pulled the book closer, tucking it under one arm before looking up at the sky. But he didn't see the sky. His eyes danced, watching things Kent could only imagine.

Kent heaved a sigh and rolled over. This made no sense, none of this made sense. Bramimond, one of the most powerful beings in Elibe, was dead. It shouldn't have happened, plain and simple.

"_Athos died."_

Kent frowned, the thought was almost comforting. If Athos could die Bramimond certainly could too. But it didn't explain how. Kent laughed wearily; it didn't matter if they didn't know how it happened. If they couldn't get out of Nabata then they could ask Bramimond face to face. Assuming the dead all went to the same place.

Kent sat up as a long shadow passed over the distant sands, coming closer to their position. He looked up, searching the skies. Finally he spotted something, too high up to see clearly. Was it a wyvern?

"No…" he said, shaking his friend, although he knew it would do no good, "Sain, look, up there!"

Kent stood, waving his arms, wishing that Sain would at least roll back and forth. After a moment the pegasus began to spiral down, heading for their position. Kent sighed and dropped his arms; maybe there was still a chance to get out of this. As the figure drew near his expression changed from relief to confusion; was that Fiora? He had assumed it was simply a chance encounter.

"Fiora?" he said, watching as her pegasus landed next to Sain, "What are you doing here?"

"Kent, there's no time to talk," she answered breathlessly, trying to control her pegasus as it pranced about, "I saw a group of people heading towards us, I think they're morphs."

"Okay, but how are we going to get out of here? We have no horses, not that they would make it any faster," Kent answered.

"What are you talking about," she grunted, bending over and hauling Sain to his feet, "We're only a mile into the desert as most; and what's wrong with him?"

"A mile? But we were much farther in…ah, never mind. I don't know what's wrong with Sain, Bramimond gave him that tome and he won't let me near it. Why are you here?" Kent replied, helping her hoist the other knight over her pegasus' back.

"Kent, Eliwood has decided to march on Bern," she answered.

"So he sent you to find us," Kent finished.

Fiora smiled, "More like he let me."

"Ah, did he now…" Kent said, smiling back before shaking the expression off, "Well good, now, we're only a mile into the desert?"

"Maybe less," Fiora answered.

"Then let's get going, we'll have to move fast if we want to stay ahead of them with Sain being so...difficult," Kent said.

The two looked down at Sain, who was still fixated on the tome.

"Sain," Fiora said gently, trying to take the tome from his hands, "Give me the book, we have to go."

Sain jerked the tome away and eyed her warily, "No."

He looked at Fiora, then down at the tome, and then back at Fiora. Her brow rose, but she didn't say anything. Instead she took a hold of the beast's reins and began to lead the group out of the desert. As they walked she spoke with Kent, telling him what had happened.

"So Lord Eliwood has already left…" Kent said, after she had finished the story.

"Yes, but we can still go with Lord Hector when Ostia marches," she answered.

"If we get there in time," Kent added.

"He wouldn't leave without us," Fiora said, although her voice held a twinge of doubt.

"If we take too long, he'll have to," Kent replied, "And with Sain how he is, it's going to be close."

Fiora looked at the delusional knight and shook her head, "So…Bramimond didn't help?"

Kent started, he hadn't told her? As he looked back on it, he realized he only said Bramimond had given them the tome.

"No, he didn't help," Kent started, "He's dead, Fiora."

Fiora didn't respond, but kept walking. Kent didn't blame her, she had never met him, and how did one respond to something like that?

Finally she spoke up, pulling on the reins to pick up their pace, "Come on Kent, it's a long road to Ostia."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"And that's it?" Hector asked, guiding his horse from its stable.

"Yes," Kent answered, Fiora nodding at his side.

Hector frowned, "The morphs didn't catch up to you? There was no grand battle on the way here, nothing?"

Kent looked at Fiora as he answered slowly, "No…"

"I don't like that," Hector grumbled.

"Why? I thought you would be pleased that we got here safely," Fiora asked.

"I'm happy you're here, but morphs never just let you go. It worries me, you shouldn't have gotten off so easy, especially dragging this idiot the whole way," he answered, pointing at Sain.

"It's not like we walked the whole way," Kent said, "We bought a horse as soon as we could."

"It doesn't matter now, there's nothing we can do about it. Come on, we're ready to go," Hector replied.

"What do we do with 'this idiot'?" Fiora asked, guiding Sain out the door. They had discovered that as long as they didn't touch the tome he would go wherever they led him. Occasionally he tried to break away, shouting things about 'giving him his book', but the fits didn't last long.

"He can ride with Kent," Hector said, helping Kent lift the other knight and place him on the horse's back.

The three made their way out to the castle's back entrance. It had taken them longer than Hector wanted, and it had been dark for a few hours already. The Marquess exchanged a few words with the captain of the guard they were leaving behind and then turned, silently leading his troops out of the castle to steal away under the cover of night. Ostia was on the move.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Why did you call me back? I could have retrieved the tome."

"Peace, Limstella," Ephidel answered, "It matters little. The one Bramimond would give it to is dead, if they want it so badly they may have it. It will cause more harm than anything else, now that there is no one to use it."

Limstella blinked, her gaze transfixed on the other morph, "I understand."

"Good," Ephidel answered, "Now, what do you think? This took more quintessence than I imagined."

"You look just like him," she answered.

Ephidel shook his head, "No Limstella, I _am_ him."

She bowed deeply, her long hair brushing the floor at her feet, "Understood, Your Highness."

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**Hopefully this chapter along with the last one cleared up where everyone is, and what everyone is doing. I also hope that this wasn't just a big 'saw it coming' chapter, I hate it when recap chapters are boring as what. Anyway, I just want to say thank you for sticking with this story for so long. If you're reading this author's note right now, you've been through a lot. A computer with a whacked out censoring system, an author who often gives himself too many strings to tie up, and highly irregular updates, to name a few. But it's drawing to a close, so I would love it if you stayed with me until the end. Thanks for reading this far.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey, can you believe it's almost been an entire year since I started this fic? Besides the fact that it's taken me this long to near the end, I'm floored by all the stuff that's happened. I remember being on spring break last year and writing this. I still remember a review I got from Ice-Chalis this time last year. It's a very odd feeling. Anyway, here I am again, plodding on no matter the pace. Here's to hoping you enjoy chapter twenty!**

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"He's what?"

The soldier looked up from his sword, pressed hard against the whetting stone.

"He's chopping wood," the man answered, pointing off behind him, "He told me he had nothing better to do."

"No way," the second replied, rising from his small stool.

The pair made their way around the barracks until a dull thumping could be heard. They peered around the edge of the building, watching as General Ike set up another log, standing it vertically on a large stump. His sword rose, flashing in the noon sun, and fell, cleaving the piece of wood neatly in two. Ike kicked the pieces aside and chose another log.

"He's an odd one, I tell ya," said the first, "He just came right up and told me to go take a break. It's like he doesn't know what a general is supposed to do."

The second solider shrugged, "Yeah…but I kind of like it. It's like he can relate to us, he's not afraid to get off his high horse, you know?"

"Yeah," the first smiled, "It's a nice change."

"What's a nice change?"

The pair whirled around to find Adelaide, standing behind them, her eyes drilling them with a passive stare. The pair snapped to attention, "Nothing!"

"Nothing? You mean you're _doing_ nothing? Because that's what I see, two fools sitting around doing nothing; now get back to work," she ordered.

"Yes-"

"Adelaide."

The three looked up as Ike came around the corner, his blade resting on one shoulder.

"These are my soldiers," he continued, "I told that one to take a break. And this one…"

Ike turned to the second soldier and relieved him of the sword he held in hand. He angled the weapon, closing one eye and gazing down its length as he tested the edge with his thumb.

"This one has just finished sharpening a sword at my request," he finished, "So please, next time find me when you think my soldiers are acting out."

Adelaide stared Ike down for a moment before nodding curtly and turning on her heel. A moment of silence passed between the three men before Ike finally exhaled.

"She's not so bad," he laughed, tossing the sword back to its owner, "but you won't envy me tonight when the war meeting rolls around. Now get moving, we're marching in two days."

The man caught the sword, his words tumbling out as he tried to say thank you and yes sir at the same time. Ike watched the pair run off before turning back to the pile of wood, his smile quickly vanishing. As he placed another piece of wood on the stump he could imagine what Soren would have said if he had been there…

"Planting seeds, are you?"

Ike turned. That was indeed what Soren would have said, but that wasn't his voice. He found Faust standing behind him, his usual grin plastered all over his face. Why did Adelaide and Faust seem so drawn to him?

"Seeds? No, just chopping wood," Ike answered.

"Now now, no need to hide it, I know what you're doing," Faust said, bending over and picking up the scattered pieces of wood before stacking them against the wall, "You're sowing seeds among your soldiers, seeds of loyalty."

He paused, waiting for Ike to respond. When he didn't, Faust continued, "But be careful, Ike. Too much love for their general and soldiers will forget how to _fear_ him."

With that he left, heading in the direction of the mercenary barracks. Ike watched him go, reaching out absentmindedly for another piece of wood. His hand grasped at nothing and he turned back around to find there was no more. He thrust Ragnell into the stump and took a seat next to it, the job was done. And it had been quite easy. His thoughts drifted to Karel, and he wondered how things were going on his end.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zephiel sat in the wooden, high backed chair. His feet were sprawled out in front of him as he leaned to one side, head propped up against his fist. His brow furrowed underneath the golden band he wore, and his mouth curved neither up nor down. The prince was brooding.

"You swear this is true," he said, not asking a question, but demanding the truth.

Karel shifted from his position in the corner of the room, the position he had held for the last two hours. If Zephiel had something to his credit, it was that the young man wasn't afraid to think things over.

"I do," he answered, drawing closer to the prince, "I do not know what he is up to, but Ephidel is behind this. Your father has no love for you, you know this, but Desmond only ordered your death at Ephidel's…_suggestion_."

"That I don't believe. My father has been married to the idea of my death since the day I was born. Just three years ago he almost had me assassinated. At the time I didn't know it, but now I see. He doesn't need anyone to plot my death."

"Ephidel was behind that too," Karel said softly, his eyes locking with the prince's, "Don't tell me you don't remember; men, white as snow, prowling the castle grounds, eyes of gold staring back at you from every dark corner."

Zephiel was silent for a moment. Then, "I remember. But I don't like to."

Karel shifted, looking towards the high, unlit chandelier, "Being hated by your father is a hard thing."

"You speak like you know the feeling," Zephiel said, looking more closely at the swordsman, inviting him to continue. Karel did not answer.

Zephiel spoke after another moment of silence, "Ephidel has been behind this from the beginning?"

"He was there every step of the way," Karel answered. He didn't feel like explaining the details of three years ago. Besides, the prince didn't need to know exactly what happened; believing only half-truths would make him easier to turn.

And as it was Zephiel was a hard man to convince. Karel watched him, sitting on his mock throne, and could tell that his mind was working furiously. After a moment Karel looked away, his gaze settling on his shadow, cast across the room by a tall candle burning on the prince's nightstand. He watched it move, wavering with the candlelight.

The better part of an hour passed before Zephiel rose, brushing against Karel's shoulder as he strode past the man and made his way to the door. He flung it open, his words tumbling out before the door was even halfway open, "Get out of here."

Karel said nothing, but waited. After a moment he heard Murdock's deep, level tenor, "You're sure, Zephiel?"

"Yes, take Guinevere and get out. Go to the shrine," Zephiel answered.

"I don't know where the shrine is, only the His Highness and-"

Murdock stopped as Zephiel withdrew a rolled piece of parchment from his sleeve and handed it to the knight, "You don't think my mother sat idle while my father carried out his plans, do you? No, if my father knew what she has told me he would make more than the occasional, halfhearted attempt to do away with me."

Murdock nodded, removing his gauntlet and tucking the parchment up his sleeve before replacing the armor, "I will do it then. But I don't like this, Guinevere has her own guards."

"None that she's attached to, she likes you," Zephiel said.

"Only because she adores you," the knight replied.

"Mm…" Zephiel muttered, averting his eyes from Murdock's own, "Tell her I'll be there soon."

Murdock bowed and when he had disappeared from view Zephiel turned back to his dimly lit room, and its single occupant.

"Does this mean you believe me?" Karel asked, his back still facing the open door.

"It means I'm not going to take the chance that you're right," he answered, walking to the window and throwing the curtains open, "Now please leave. I need to think."

Karel inclined his head towards the prince's back, as if the young man hadn't been thinking for the past three hours, and left. He had done his job, now it would be left up to Zephiel. Karel turned away from the room and meandered down the hallway, his casual pace hiding his urgent business. He needed to see how Ike was holding up.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ike ignored the stares as he entered the one place generals never went, the soldiers' mess hall. It was dinner hour and he had work to do. He calmly grabbed a plain, earthenware bowl and filled it with whatever was being served that night. Walking to the nearest table, he took a seat and brought a spoonful of the stew to his mouth. He grimaced, and turned to the nearest soldier, "How often do they serve this?"

"Ahhumm…" the soldier drawled, trying to find his tongue as he stared at one of the most powerful men in Bern, sitting next to him like it was no big deal, "Three, four times a week maybe. Uh…why?"

Ike frowned, "No reason really. What do you think of it?"

"It's, ah…it's not bad?" the soldier offered, trying to figure out what Ike was getting at. He wasn't used to open ended questions.

Ike's eyebrow took a dive as he stared at the man, who quickly changed his answer, "I mean it's great?"

Ike's other eyebrow joined the first, so it appeared he was glaring at the man, who seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack, "Really?"

"No, he means to say it's awful."

Ike turned, and found himself looking at the soldiers he had defended earlier. They both stood easily in front of Ike, their manner relaxed.

"That's what I thought too," Ike said, laughing darkly as he rose from the bench.

"What are you doing here, sir?" the first asked.

"Just seeing what we feed you men. You know they feed the mercenaries better than this, I'll have a talk with Ephidel about it," Ike answered.

"Of course they do," the second soldier laughed, "The mercenaries don't get killed for deserting, they need _something_ to keep 'em around!"

Ike laughed along with the rest of the table before making his way out of the room, "I'll see what I can do."

As soon as he left the mess hall Ike heard the room explode with noise as soldiers began to talk amongst themselves. He looked to his right and found Karel waiting, leaning against the wall next to one of the iron braziers.

"Well?" he asked, joining Ike as he headed for the main part of the castle.

"It's going well, as far as I can tell," Ike answered, "I've been doing things like that all week."

"Good. And before you ask," Karel said, cutting Ike off as he opened his mouth to speak, "everything went well on my end, or as well as we could have hoped for. He listened to everything I had to say, and I now it's up to him to decide if we're right or not."

Ike ran a hand over his face, pulling down on the corners of his mouth. He wasn't used to smiling this much.

"Did he give any sign to let you know what he thought?" he asked, looking over at Karel.

Karel played with the tassel on his sword pommel before answering, "He told Murdock to take the princess and flee. If that's any indication then I would say he believes us."

Ike sighed, "Then our part is done. Now it all depends on whether or not Soren could convince Eliwood to attack Bern."

"If he even made it to Pherae," Karel said.

Ike's jaw set, and he glanced at the man, "I know he made it. Soren's plans are as close you'll get to perfect. Now, I have a war meeting to attend. You go back to the mercenary side of the castle; I want Nasir and the others ready to go."

Karel left without an affirmation, but as Ike turned down yet another long corridor he knew the man would get it done. A few minutes later Ike pushed open the doors to the war room. Adelaide, Faust, and Limstella were already gathered around the long table. Ike ignored Adelaide's glare as he took his spot across from her, choosing to look at Limstella instead. He had seen nothing of her since that night in Pherae, so long ago. Even then, he had remained outside the throne room with Soren while Eliwood spoke with her. This was his first time actually seeing the morph, but he knew it was her all the same.

Limstella returned Ike's gaze for a moment before speaking, "We can begin."

"Good," Faust said, "First off, you mind tellin' me where Ephidel is?"

"Master Ephidel is not feeling well. He gave me orders to relay to you for today's meeting," she answered.

Faust looked like he wanted to cry foul, but he held his tongue, a rarity for him. After a moment to make sure no one else had any objections, Limstella continued, "Ike, Ephidel wishes to know how the mages are handling you as their general. He knows magic is not your forte."

"True, but they don't seem to mind as long as I leave them be until it is time to march. Honestly, I don't know what to do with them right now, but I believe they will follow me when the time comes," he answered.

"Ephidel will be pleased to hear this. Soren's betrayal was a hard blow to take with the campaign so close," Limstella said, and then turned to Adelaide.

"My wyverns are fine," the woman said, before Limstella could ask her question, "They find me odd, a sniper riding a wyvern, but they respect me and that is all that matters."

"I'd respect her too," Faust whispered, leaning close so Ike could hear, "One wrong move and down ye' go! But it was no mistake putting a bow in charge of the wyverns; they're a rowdy bunch."

Ike tuned him out, along with Limstella as she spoke of their march on Pherae, going over details that he had heard a hundred times since becoming a general. As she spoke he wondered what Ephidel was up to. It was obvious the morph wasn't sick, but something kept him from showing his face. Ike lost himself in one of the torches on the wall, his eyes glazing over as he stared into the flames. He would have to figure out what Ephidel was up to when it came time to-

"-ack!"

Ike started, pulled from his inner musings by the distressed voice of a guard who had burst through the door.

"What?" Ike said, watching as Adelaide, Faust and Limstella leapt from their chairs.

"We're under attack!" the man repeated, not quite sure who to address.

"Under attack by whom?" Limstella asked, heading for the door as she spoke.

"We don't know, they came out of nowhere! They're all wearing black armor and they bear neither insignia nor standard!"

Limstella paused before asking, "Where are they now?"

"Still outside the city, although not for long. We were caught completely off guard, we will almost certainly have to fall back to the keep," the man answered.

Limstella whirled around to face the three, still standing around the table, "Go, do not let the keep fall. I will join you soon with orders from His Highness."

As Limstella left the room Faust ran after her, shouting over his shoulder all the way, "You heard th' woman, hop to it!"

Adelaide said nothing, but gave Ike a sideways glance as she slipped out the door. After she had left Ike turned to the guard, who still stood in the doorway, waiting for someone to issue a command.

"You," Ike said, heading for the hallway, "Come with me."

The man's hand snapped to his forehead before he followed Ike down the corridor, heading for the barracks. As Ike hammered the doors open he surveyed the scene. Soldiers were everywhere, but made surprisingly little noise as they hurried to strap on armor and select their weapons.

"You have five minutes," Ike bellowed, gesturing to the door with Ragnell, "to get out that door! The keep falls and every one of us goes down with it, myself included! Move it!"

Ike turned on his heel, listening as a cacophony of clanging metal and harsh voices rose to a deafening roar. The keep would not fall though, that wasn't the plan, not that anyone knew it.

"Go, ready a charger for me," he ordered, turning to the soldier, still at his side.

"A charger, sir?" the man said, slightly confused.

"Yes, a charger, and hurry. There isn't much time."

"Yes, sir!"

Ike watched him go then wheeled about. He had one more task to perform before joining the battle. Ike ran down the hall, across the castle grounds, through the main doors and up the stairs. Always up the stairs, there were so many in this blasted castle, more than it needed. He paused to catch his breath as he reached the floor second from the top and then walked down the hallway, coming to a stop in front of a heavy, wooden door. It opened after a single knock.

"General Ike? What is this about?" Zephiel asked, looking up at the taller man.

"We're under attack," Ike replied, his answer failing to sound urgent in the least.

"By?" the prince asked, his brows meeting in the middle of his forehead.

"Those who wish Ephidel dead. I know Karel spoke with you. Now is the time to decide, there is no more time to think Zephiel. Ephidel dies and this all goes away," Ike answered, searching the young man's face for an answer.

"So he wasn't lying…" Zephiel muttered, his head turning to one side as he looked into the room at his back, "Fine. You're right, the time for consideration has come to an end."

"And?" Ike pressed.

Zephiel reached around, grasping at something behind the door, and withdrew a silver sword. He strapped it to his hip and strode out into the hall, "I will do what is best for Bern, I always knew there was something wrong with Ephidel. Where is my father?"

"Probably still in the throne room, I doubt he's been told," Ike answered, back peddling down the hall as he spoke, "I'll be back to help you as soon as I can."

Zephiel watched him go and then followed once he was out of sight. He would do what was best for Bern, yes. He would deal with this, and then Ike; the man who had orchestrated this assault, the man who had the gall to attack Bern. It would mar Bern's history as champion of Elibe of such man were allowed to escape.

Zephiel walked briskly down the halls towards the throne room, knowing what he would find there. As he slammed the doors open, though, he found he was mistaken. Ephidel was nowhere in sight. Only his father, standing in front of the throne, his long, purple cape cascading down the stairs behind him. But something was wrong.

"Father?"

Zephiel stared as Desmond turned, revealing a figure on the floor, a sword stuck in his side. It was…Desmond.

In a breath Zephiel had drawn his sword and leveled it at his father, both of them.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

The one on the floor moaned before being kicked in the side by the other, who answered Zephiel's question, "What do you think? Ephidel tried to stab me in the back, have this imposter kill me."

Zephiel blinked, thrown only for a moment before replying, moving across the room towards the two men, "No, no you're Ephidel. Get off of him."

"Zephiel, you foolish boy," Desmond said scathingly, violently pulling his sword from the other's body, "You speak nonsense. You know what I say is true."

"No, my father has no spine; he couldn't kill a baby fox, let alone defend himself. My father is on the floor, a pathetic waste who would bleed to death if it weren't for his only son coming to his rescue," Zephiel countered, lunging for the man he knew was Ephidel.

Ephidel snarled and parried Zephiel's attack, "So insightful. If father is anything like son though, I will have nothing to worry about."

Zephiel's lip curled as he crossed swords with the morph. He would not honor that with a reply, but soon Ephidel would find out how wrong he was.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Ike vaulted into the saddle of the charger that stood ready in the stables, a black mare that was nearly taller than him at her shoulders. He dug his heels into her sides and galloped out towards the front of the keep. Men were shouting orders back and forth as countless ladders appeared along the ramparts, and the sound a battering ram could be heard at the gates. Wyverns darkened the sky as they flew back and forth, and spells rained down from the ramparts as mages of all types cast at will. It was disorder with no rhyme or reason.

"What's going on?" he asked, riding up next to another man on a horse who was shouting orders.

"General! They came out of nowhere, hit us while we were changing the guard," he said, wiping a trickle of blood from his brow, "We're going nowhere fast, sir, no one seems able to get organized. Even Adelaide's having trouble with her unit. Faust's mercenaries are getting ready to pinch them from the sides, but he'll need more time to get their ranks formed up."

Ike nodded, the mercenary barracks were outside the keep so they would be the ones to fight in the melee, "Then we'll give them that time."

"Sir?"

"Fall in line soldier, we're turning this battle around," Ike ordered.

The man saluted and rode off. Ike spurred his horse into a canter and he rode along the keep's front wall, surveying the men who stood at the ready in case the gates were broken.

"Faust's men will get them off our backs, but not in time to keep us alive," Ike shouted, riding back and forth, "If we want them off our backs, we have to do it ourselves! There's no depending on sell swords now, it's up to true soldiers or no one at all!"

His declaration was met with a cheer, few liked the mercenaries hired to bolster Bern's already swollen army. Besides, Ike was getting a reputation as a soldier's general.

"Stop waiting for Faust to get them in gear, we're ready to move now! We are Bern, champions all; we will not fall to some nameless army! This is not the time to cower behind stone walls, but time to show them why Bern is hailed as greatest in Elibe. Their armor may have no color, but I'll bet their insides do!" Ike bellowed, hoisting Ragnell above his head as hundreds of voices joined his own in a throaty scream.

Ike turned his steed and leveled Ragnell towards the gates, "Open them! We'll rout the fools ourselves before Faust can get his sell swords off their backsides!"

Ike thundered towards the gates, which opened slowly, and the entirety of his command followed. It didn't matter that it was a terrible strategic move, it didn't matter that the gates would never succumb to any battering ram, and it didn't matter that Ike himself had once been a sell sword; they were fighting for Bern, and their general was fighting alongside them.

The men rushed out like fish before a shark, not seeming to care that the gates were only halfway open. They would remain halfway open too, for Adelaide had feathered the gatekeepers before they could open them any further, but once again the men didn't care. They didn't even care that General Ike was suddenly gone, or that they never seemed to advance past the open gates before falling with a blade in their gut; all they wanted was to punish these impudent men who dared stand against them. For a moment they were no longer soldiers, but heroes, heroes who would stand and fight until their homeland was safe once again.

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**So as you can see, this is finally starting to draw to a close. Thanks again for sticking with me, I've come to love the Fire Emblem fandom over the course of this story. I'd like to know what you thought of this chapter, so as usual drop me a review if you have the time. Otherwise, I hope you liked it, and I'll see you next update.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	21. Chapter 21

**Oh ho! An update, finally! Nothing much to say here, although there is one thing. I decided I couldn't possibly fit the battle all in one chapter, so I'm splitting it up. Other than that, here's chapter twenty-one. Enjoy.**

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Ike ran over bodies and under arrows as he dashed across the battlefield. He had slid off his horse as soon as he'd entered the fray, intent on making his way to where he knew Soren would be waiting. He dodged a lance thrust from a black clad soldier, a risk of playing an enemy general, and quickly slipped around the man.

There was no time, no time at all; he had to find Soren and then move onto the next part of the plan. Ike's eyes widened as he caught sight of a flaming head of red hair before it disappeared into a sea of black once again. That would be Eliwood, or Kent, either way it should get him where he needed to be. As he moved farther into the ranks of Pherae's army, he began seeing familiar faces, men who served in the highest guard. They let him pass, recognizing him unlike the common foot-soldiers.

After a moment Ike came to a stop, tapping on a familiar shoulder.

"Ike!" Wil said, lowering his bow as he saw who it was, "Great saints, we were wondering if you were in there or not!"

"It took me longer than I thought to get out, where's Soren?" he answered.

Wil cocked his head to his right as he began to lead him through the sea of shouting faces, "Over there, with Eliwood."

The pair stopped as they neared a small thatch roof house. Wil opened the door, ushering the taller man in before closing it quickly. Inside Eliwood, Ninian, and Soren were gathered around a table, a map laid out before them. Soren was bent, drawing furiously with a piece of charcoal as he spoke.

"From what Jaffar and Volke have told me, their forces are the weakest near the mercenary barracks. It seems odd, but the soldiers are unwilling to mingle with them, and the mercenaries are only just getting organized."

The mage stopped as Eliwood and Ninian looked up and then turned to follow their gaze. Ike watched a small glimmer of relief flash in Soren's eyes before he snapped back to his emotional stonewall.

"Ike, good to see you, what news do you have?"

Ike spoke quickly, "Zephiel has joined us for now, but we need to deal with Faust and Adelaide before we can help him."

"Faust will be easy," Soren said as he walked to the window, his eyes searching the sky. "Adelaide will be the difficult one."

Ike too glanced out the window. She wasn't hard to find, red hair flying as she circled the urban battlefield. For each time her arm drew back a man fell beneath her, an arrow in his throat.

"How will we do it?" Ike asked.

Soren said nothing, but held out a hand towards Eliwood. The man reached into a pack at his side and withdrew a Bolting, handing it to the mage. Eyes narrowed, Soren leafed through the pages until he stopped near the middle of the book.

"We'll do it with this, now go," he said, gesturing with a hand as he began to chant.

A bolt appeared, barely missing Adelaide as she rolled to the side and scanned the ground for the offending spell caster. Ike saw what Soren wanted and raced towards Adelaide as another bolt thundered, driving her closer to the ground. Whenever she tried to fly higher, a bolt struck, forcing her to dive towards the earth. She could do nothing about it.

Now she was close, close enough for what Soren had in mind, and so was Ike. He leapt, rolling through the air as he tore through both of her mount's wings, causing it to fall the short distance to the ground. Ike turned as he landed and barely dodged an arrow. Adelaide had not even blinked, nor did she question his sudden betrayal. She simply notched another arrow and released. Ike's shoulder jerked as he dodged, feeling the force of the shaft glance off his armor. He leveled his sword at the sniper, who slid off her wyvern, face unreadable.

She advanced, firing arrow after arrow as Ike too drew closer, violent shafts of light screaming across the battlefield with each swing of his sword. The pair met in an open space on the cobblestone road, carved out by the intimidation they cast over all those around them. Ike swung, the blade clipping Adelaide's shoulder as she dropped before lunging forward.

Ike found himself breathless as she ran into him, knocking him to the ground in a feat of strength that he doubted even Boyd could match. He quickly found his sword arm pinned, and a pair of stoic eyes gazing into his before she bashed her forehead into his face. He heard his nose crack, but felt nothing as he bellowed, heaving her off to one side.

Ike got to his feet as Adelaide came at him again, this time feet first with a dropkick aimed at his ribs. He sidestepped and swung down, intent on removing her feet, armor and all, but the blow was off. He felt the sword's edge bite into her armored greaves, but the force of Adelaide's attack redirected too much of the strike's power. As she got to her feet though, Ike caught the faintest hint of a limp. He had at least sprained her ankle.

Ike swung again, dropping Ragnell to the ground this time as he following up with an elbow to Adelaide's face, repaying her twice over for his broken nose as he felt her cheek bone crumple under the brutal attack. Her head snapped back as she vaulted into a back flip and Ike shouted involuntarily as he watched her land, an arrow already leaving the bowstring. He could do little else but drop to the ground, and be glad the arrow caught him in the chest plate instead of the stomach. He felt the breath driven from his lungs for a second time, and knew he would have quite the bruise to show off when this was all over.

As he rolled onto his knees he felt something cut into his neck and a foot on his back force him back down. His head kicked back, neck extended far beyond its usual range of motion as a taut bowstring bit into his skin. Ike coughed violently, his fingers clawing at the makeshift noose around his neck. Forget choking him to death, Adelaide was going to behead him with nothing more than a bow if she pulled any harder; the only good thing was this meant she had finally run out of arrows.

Ike reared up, stretching farther than he thought his back could, and wrapped his fingers around the bowstring as he came back down, pulling Adelaide off balance. She flipped over him, sprawling on the ground as she landed on her injured ankle. Ike rose, gasping as he tackled her, Ragnell forgotten in the dust. He pulled back a fist before dropping his armored forearm across her neck, driving her against the cobblestone.

Adelaide's face went pale before Ike felt a leg wrap around his neck from behind, prying at him until he was forced to let go. The two rose, ragged and bleeding as they eyed each other. Ike gasped, his hand at the deep cut in his neck while Adelaide's fingers absentmindedly brushed her swollen cheek. They hadn't said a word to each other the entire time and Ike doubted they would.

Ike bent, pretending to reach for a knife in his boot, and rolled towards Ragnell as Adelaide rushed him. Ike picked up his blade and whirled around, tossing it high into the air before simply charging Adelaide. He caught her across the midsection as she hesitated, trying to decide if she should be watching the sword or Ike. He hauled her up off her feet and threw her away, catching Ragnell as it came down.

This was it. Ike ran towards her as she tried to stand, his arm drawn back as he readied himself for a thrust. At least, that's what Adelaide thought. As Ike came close enough to strike he leapt back, and Adelaide followed him. She had forgotten Soren, and as the lightning bolt crashed into her Adelaide dropped to the ground, convulsing as her eyes rolled back into her head, her armor melting at the entry point of the bolt.

Ike watched her until she grew still, motionless on the ground, armor smoldering. An angry burn covered her right shoulder, laid bare by the force of the strike, and the scent of singed hair masked all others. Her red locks were frayed and split; they clung together with blood, dark and dried from the heat of the blast. Ike felt his stomach rise into his chest as he approached, for all the difficulties she caused him the thought of killing her rankled him. She looked too much like Titania. But as he watched her chest plate, rising and falling with the each shallow breath, he knew he would have to.

Standing over her head he took a reverse grip on Ragnell, holding it high above his head before letting his arms fall. Its wide, teardrop tip cleaved her head off evenly and Ike turned, not wishing to dwell on the shallow victory. He found himself hoping Soren was right; he did not want to be that involved in Faust's death.

As he began to make his way back he was suddenly in the house, standing next to Soren.

"Priscilla is waiting for you," the mage said, raising an eyebrow at the deep gash on Ike's throat.

Ike looked around and spotted Priscilla next to Ninian, a rescue staff in her hands. She was spattered with blood and grime, but her face held a serene smile just the same.

Ike sighed, "Thanks for the help. Now, and back there. She just didn't want to die."

"It was a bit of a waste," Soren replied.

Ike's brow cocked, Soren never mourned an enemy's death, not in the entire time he had known him.

"Two whole Boltings, wasted," the mage continued, leafing through the tomes, all the pages now blank.

He tossed the books into the empty fireplace and walked back over to the table, examining the map once again. Ike just shook his head and made peace with Adelaide's death. Soren never failed to put things into perspective.

"Ike, you're swaying," Priscilla said.

As Ike looked at her he realized she was right. Plus, now there were two Priscillas. Or was it Priscilli? Ike shook his head; his mind went to the strangest places sometimes.

"I can't focus either," he added, making his way over to the table. "Lost too much blood."

The Priscillas nodded in agreement, "I wish I had a staff for that."

She took a Recover from her pack, and as she held it over him Ike felt the fatigue flee before its pale, blue light. His limbs stopped shaking, and the gash shrank until it was nothing more than small, white line. He still felt drained, but that was something only time could heal.

"Oh dear…"Priscilla said, and Ike suddenly felt heavier as she brought the healing process to a halt.

"What?" he asked, looking at her over his shoulder.

"Your nose," she said, "I didn't realize you'd broken it."

"Feels fine to me," Ike offered, reaching up to touch his face.

As his hand touched his nose, though, he stopped. It felt wrong. It felt...sideways.

"It healed the wrong way," Priscilla said, her brow furrowing as she considered her options. "Come here. I'll have to re-break it."

"What?"

Ike barely had time to register what she'd said before one of her small, delicate hands gently gripped his nose, and then nearly wrenched it off. Involuntary tears filled his eyes, even as he felt the welcome relief of her staff.

"I'm sorry," she said after a moment, her lips holding onto a small frown. "I wish there was a better way to do that."

Ike reached up and felt his nose, eyeing the small cleric warily-he had hardly been expecting that from her. He had little time to think, though, as Wil came bursting through the door.

"Priscilla, we need you back outside. Raven's taken an arrow to the side and he refuses to leave the front."

"Raymond, so stubborn…" she murmured, gathering up her staves and following the archer out the door. Priscilla's face was overcast with worry, and Ike wondered if Mist looked the same whenever he was gone.

"Better?" Soren asked, looking up from the table after Priscilla had left the small house.

"Yes," Ike answered, rising from his chair and looking over the map. "What's next?"

"I don't know," Soren answered, surprising them all, "but I will in a moment."

The mage moved to the window once again and shortly Marcus appeared, covered with mud and gore. The paladin dismounted quickly and slipped into the building.

"What's the state of Faust's mercenaries?" Soren asked after the man had greeted Eliwood.

Marcus shook his head, saying breathlessly, "Not good. I don't know how, but he's managed to get inside the keep with about half of them. The good news is it seems he left the rookies outside, your group should still be with him."

"Nasir will have made sure of that," Ike answered, "but we need to figure out how to get in there. I told him not move until we were inside the keep, I didn't want him blowing his cover if this was a lost cause."

"The gates are open, are they not?" Ninian asked.

"You can't see the gates from here, but there's a wall of soldiers we have to get through, and never will at this rate," Ike answered.

"I think Nasir will handle that too," Soren said. "You may have ordered him to wait for you, but he's not stupid. He can judge for himself if this is a winning battle."

Ike shook his head, "I don't think we can count on Nasir to do our job for us-"

He was cut off as a frenzied cheer rocked the foundations of the small house. Looking out the window, he saw Pherae's forces were all looking in the same direction, towards the rear of the city.

Exiting the house, the four saw men pouring through the city's main gates, all wearing the same charcoal black armor. At the head of the company rode a man, his blue hair standing out clearly in the mass of dark colors. With a lofty war cry, Hector hoisted his Wolf Beil high above his head and the soldiers surged forward.

"He didn't bring Armads," Eliwood said thoughtfully, more to himself than anyone else.

"Was he supposed to?" Ike asked.

Eliwood looked unsure of himself as he answered, "I told him it was his choice, but I was bringing Durandal. We don't know what Ephidel has planned; I thought it best to bring it. And considering Ephidel himself was after it, I thought the safest place would be at my side. Hector must have thought otherwise."

Looking away from the Marquess, Ike found the men were close enough so that he could see their faces, all set in the same defiant shout of men charging into battle. The group watched as Hector thundered by, only to whip his head around after catching sight of Eliwood. He looked from Eliwood to the gates of the keep, and after a moment turned around and headed back towards the house.

"What's going on?" he demanded, dismounting as he neared the group, "Why aren't you out there fighting?"

"Hector, we, or at least you and I, cannot be flippant with our identities. Bern had no idea who's attacking them, and it would be best if it stayed that way," Eliwood answered.

Hector looked incredulous, his head swiveling to look at the keep gates again, "Then why are we here at all? Couldn't we have let _them_ do all the work?"

Eliwood shook his head slowly, "No. There may be something we are needed for…and there may be not. Why didn't you bring Armads?"

"It's sealed away, Eliwood, not to be disturbed. Unless Ephidel has made a Dragon's Gate in the blasted courtyard I doubt we'll need it," Hector scoffed.

Eliwood cast a glance at Soren dubiously, who met his gaze with mild interest.

Hector's eyes widened, "He hasn't, has he?"

"No," Soren answered slowly, "but we think he may have found one elsewhere. Based on what Volke told me he may have been planning to put it to use much later, but he could still turn to it now. If he's allowed to escape the castle, and if he has found a gate and he manages to reach it, leaving Armads behind will have been a dreadful mistake."

"Well then, we won't let him escape the castle. Does anyone have a scarf?" Hector inquired, looking around the group.

Eliwood looked like he knew where the request was leading. "Why?"

"I said he's not escaping and I meant it. I'm not sitting here like some useless oaf while everyone else does my work for me. If only Matthew was here, he'd have something I could use...this will do."

Hector pulled a cloak out of Eliwood's travel bag, donning it over his cape and armor.

"There," he said, pulling the hood up over his face, "No one will know the difference. Let's go."

"Hector!"

The group turned in the direction of a new voice to find Lyn, striding towards them with Guy, Oswin, and Serra trailing behind her. It seemed Hector's plans would have to wait.

"Hector, I told you Eliwood would be at the rear of the army," she said, coming to a stop and staring up at her husband. "You can't rush in as you please. This isn't like three years ago; you represent Ostia, and all of the Lycian League."

"I know that, did you not notice the hood?" Hector said, gesturing to his newly adorned headwear.

Lyn huffed impatiently and turned to Eliwood, "He's been like this the whole way here. Should we go inside? I'm sure there are things to discuss before we can do anything else."

"Yes there are," he said, looking apologetically towards Hector. "We can't just run in, yet."

Lyn grabbed Hector's arm and directed him into the house, which was by that point getting more than a little crowded.

"What's to talk about? We can't just sit here and wait," Hector grumbled, leaning against the wall and staring out the window towards the men at the gates. As far as he was concerned if he wasn't doing it, it wasn't getting done.

"We won't, with Ostia's forces here is won't be long before we get through the gates. We'll have to move fast then," Soren answered.

"Speaking of fast," Eliwood said, "You must have double timed the whole way here, we left days before you."

"Don't remind me," Hector said, "I'm sure I have riding sores. I just can't feel them yet. But getting back to the point, why do we have to hurry once we get through the gates? We've got Bern running scared; I'm surprised this is going so well."

"We have them unprepared, not afraid. They had no idea this was coming and they don't know how many forces we have. Do _you_ know how many we have?" Soren asked, an eyebrow arching slightly.

"Uh…"

"About a third of what Bern has," Soren continued. "Once all our forces get inside the keep, it will be clear who would win if we don't finish what we came to do and withdraw as soon as possible."

Hector raised his hands in surrender, "All right, all right, then what's the plan?"

"That depends," he answered, turning to Ike, "You said Zephiel has joined us for now. What's he doing?"

"As far as I know he's looking for the king."

Soren closed his eyes a moment, thinking before laying out his plans, "Ephidel will be looking for the king as well. We've known from the start that he would eventually do away with Desmond, he will use this as a chance to act. We need to find Ephidel before he gets to him, assuming he hasn't already."

"I would like to look for Matthew," Hector added. "He didn't return by the time we left Ostia, and I have a bad feeling about it."

Soren frowned; another person to find would not make their job any easier.

"Fine, we'll split up. Eliwood, you look for Ephidel and Desmond. Take Ninian, Oswin, and Serra with you. Hector, you can look for Matthew, take Lyn and Guy. Ike and I will help Nasir deal with Faust. Hector, if either of us completes our first objective, we'll move on to the search for Ephidel."

"Fine, but we should meet up before looking for Ephidel. We can't all be wandering aimlessly around the castle," Hector answered.

Soren nodded, "The throne room, that's central enough, and with any luck Desmond will be there. And remember, if you find Ephidel Limstella will be nearby."

Silence fell over the room at this. They had never dealt directly with Ephidel, but other than Ike and Soren they all remembered Limstella. She was a terror, a twisted creation of men. Her power had been so great it destroyed her, and like a recurring nightmare she was back.

After a moment Eliwood spoke, pushing the issue aside for the time being, "Hector, did Kent and Sain make it back?"

The big man nodded and his face darkened, "Fiora too. It was quite the adventure they had." He spoke without humor.

"Where are they?"

Hector pointed out the window. Eliwood smiled, "I should have known they would jump into battle as soon as possible."

Hector shifted, not quite sure what to say. Even he could tell this would be awkward to say aloud. In the end, he just said it.

"They're not in battle; they're still making their way here. They lagged behind the army…Sain's not doing so well."

Eliwood looked up, startled. "What do you mean?"

"Sain was given a tome, and told to deliver it to someone. He won't let anyone touch it and he's acting like a madman. Jumping at shadows, staring at things that aren't there..."

"Who gave him this tome?"

Hector looked over at Lyn before answering, "Bramimond. And that's the second half. He's dead, Eliwood."

Eliwood blinked, and sagged into a chair, "Dead? Dead…like…"

"Like Athos predicted. I wasn't expecting it either."

Eliwood frowned, "What are they supposed to do when they get here? With Sain half crazed they'll have to watch him."

Hector shrugged, "We were hoping that would just work itself out. We couldn't leave them behind. Crazy or not, Sain's supposed to give it to someone."

"This is so…I mean, how? How could Bramimond—wait, never mind," Eliwood said, holding up a hand, "Don't tell me, it will only give me more to think about."

Hector turned away, looking out the window again. He knew what Eliwood meant. Learning all the details would only preoccupy his mind when he was supposed to concentrating. Even the thought of Bramimond's death was jarring; Hector knew it would have driven him crazy to know he'd died without knowing how. But Eliwood was different; his friend had a measure of self-control he would never understand. Even now, Eliwood had probably moved onto the problem at hand. Eliwood was good like that; he wouldn't let it get to him.

But Hector was wrong. As Eliwood stared at the flimsy, oaken door, he suddenly felt unnerved. Athos' predictions were coming true, not that he had expected otherwise, but something felt wrong. Was this the dark star rising from Bern? Were they to be the children of Roland who would once again save Elibe? Or was this something else, a precursor to a much bigger catastrophe?

Eliwood never decided, for at that moment another roar shook the small building.

"They're through," Soren said, opening the door and running out into the streets of Bern's castle town.

They wasted no time following the mage as he dashed towards the castle gates, which were now wide open. From what they could see, there was a battle on two sides of their army. One in the front, where Bern was still trying to beat them back, and one to the left, where the second half of Faust's mercenaries had finally managed to go on the offensive.

Quickly they melted into the army, deep hoods obscuring their faces as they made their way through the gates like any other soldier. As soon as they were through Soren led them away and along the castle wall until they were huddled in a corner between the ramparts and one of the castle watch towers.

"You all know what to do?" Soren asked, looking around the small circle.

After a round of nods he pointed towards the castle, "Then go. I give it an hour before this plan turns against us."

And with the mage's final warning, they scattered.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eliwood ran towards the castle, Ninian, Oswin, and Serra close behind. Hector followed for the moment, and Ike had run off towards the gates once again.

"Hector," Eliwood said, looking at the castle doors and then towards his friends, "look how heavily they're guarded, we won't get in like this."

Hector held up a hand, pointing towards the castle doors, "Yes we will."

Eliwood looked back towards the castle as Faust came tumbling out. He slammed down onto the stone stairway, rolling halfway down before jumping to his feet and directed a dazed stare towards the castle doors. Following him out came Nasir, his gaze fixed on the mercenary general, and the rest of the Greil Mercenaries soon after.

"They're making their move on Faust, go now!" Hector hissed.

The group ran for the doors, which had now joined the rest of the battlefield in disorder as the guards no longer knew who they were guarding them from.

"Shouldn't we help them? They're right there," Eliwood asked, parrying a lance blow before thrusting through an unfortunate soldier's breast plate.

"That's not the plan, Ike will handle Faust," Hector growled, barreling over three soldiers with a single, massive swing.

With a final push they nearly fell through the doors, and were suddenly alone. The battle that raged outside seemed reluctant to disturb the stillness within the castle. Eliwood glanced about the great hall. It was enormous, with great stone pillars stretching up towards the distant ceiling. His eyes strayed across that ceiling, examining the scenes of war and victory etched into its surface, until his gaze made its way to the huge doors at the hall's end. That had to be the throne room.

"Well, this is where we part ways."

Eliwood looked away from the towering doors as Hector spoke. The man was looking off to their right, towards a staircase that spiraled down, into the torch lit bowels of the great castle.

"Remember what Soren told us," Eliwood warned.

Hector nodded, waving away the comment like a bothersome horsefly, "Yeah I remember. We'll be in and out before you know it. Save some of Ephidel for me; you act like a pious idealist, but we've all seen you with that monster of a sword."

Lyn smacked Hector's arm and Eliwood laughed, but it was humorless, and his smile did not reach his eyes.

"Just get going. And when you're done, the throne room's right there."

He jerked his head towards the large doors at the end of the hall. Hector nodded his understanding and made for the staircase, Lyn and Guy close behind. Eliwood watched as the staircase swallowed them up, and then looked around his own group.

"Right, I don't need to remind you how badly we're pressed for time. However, rushing in would be a bad idea."

Oswin thumped the haft of his lance on the stone floor, "True enough, but what are we supposed to do then? Inch the doors open, and hope we can slip in unnoticed?"

"Not quite. We never saw the throne room the last time we were here, but if it's anything like our own there will be balconies around the room's upper level. We need to find one of those, there should be separate staircases outside the throne room leading to each of them."

When no one objected Eliwood started down the hallway, his boots thumping softly on the carpeted walkway. Just before reaching the doors he veered to the right, walking along the wall until he came to a banner that hung from the ceiling all the way to the floor. Silently he pulled it aside, revealing a stone staircase leading up to another level of the castle. The others filed in, making their way up the stairs, and as Eliwood let the cloth fall back into place darkness enveloped them.

"Why aren't there any torches?" Serra asked.

"They would only use these balconies during important events, coronations and such," Eliwood answered, feeling Ninian's hand on his shoulder, "When they're not in use the servants probably don't bother lighting them. Which is all the better for us."

He stopped speaking as they came to the top of the staircase. Another banner hung in front of them, and as Eliwood carefully pulled it aside they saw a small terrace overlooking the throne room. Big enough for perhaps ten people, it extended a short ways out into the room. From where they stood then nothing but the ceiling and far wall could be seen. Sounds, however, drifted up from the room below; shouts, the clamor of swords, and a laugh.

Carefully the group crept towards the railing, crawling to where they might see duel below. As two figures came into view, Eliwood heard a sharp intake of breath on his left.

"Isn't _that_ the king?" Serra whispered, and pointed towards one of the two men holding swords. The other was Zephiel, and as Serra had pointed out, he appeared to be fighting his father.

"Yes…" Eliwood answered, trailing off as his eye found another figure, lying motionless in front of the throne.

This time it was Eliwood who hissed as he drew breath, suddenly realizing what was going on. "No. No, that's not Desmond. Look there, in front of the throne."

"Is that—who is that?" Oswin muttered. He knew who it was, but he also knew it couldn't be.

Ninian's face darkened, and she looked from one to the other. "Ephidel…that one fighting with Zephiel, it's him. I can feel it, he is unnatural."

"Made himself king has he?" Oswin grumbled. "Well, what's the plan?

Eliwood watched Zephiel, parrying blows that would have broken a lesser man's wrist and striking back even harder. "For now, we wait. Zephiel may be able to handle this."

"Are you sure?" Oswin asked, trying to hide his surprise. "It's Ephidel, not some faceless morph."

"Yes, I'm sure. And besides that…it's as I said before. Zephiel is dangerous to us as well. It would be best if he didn't have to know of our involvement at all. He's smart, and merciless to enemies. He may be with us now, but he won't like the fact that someone spit in Bern's face and got away with it. Right now he thinks all this is Ike, but if he finds out who's really behind it he may use it to justify a war with Lycia."

"I thought it was Desmond you were wary of."

"I am. But Zephiel can't be ignored."

"We're pressed for time," Oswin reminded him.

"Yes we are, but this is important. Five minutes, that's all we'll need to tell how this is going to end."

Oswin said nothing and settled down to watch the pair below them. Back and forth, up and down; Zephiel and Ephidel were a spinning mess of blades and bodies as they moved around the throne room. Eventually though it was as Eliwood had said. Zephiel's strength was beginning to flag, his strikes held less authority, and his arm shook after each parry.

Finally they saw it, Ephidel lunged forward and as Zephiel turned away he faltered, the sword catching him across his upper arm. The cut was superficial, but as his white sleeve became stained with red Eliwood knew the time had come.

"Stay here until we need you," he whispered, looking back at Serra and Ninian.

Then with a skip and jump he vaulted over the railing and clung to the closest banner. Sliding to the floor, he drew his sword and charged, knowing Oswin was right behind him. There was no time to talk, no time to register the look of surprise on Zephiel's face or the look of disdain of Ephidel's. There was only time to fight.

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**Perhaps you can see why I split it up. There are just so many things to do with each group, the chapter would have been hideously long. Some of you may have liked that, but I doubt anyone would have liked how long it took to update that. Assuming you crazies still like this, for some reason or other. So, if you have the time drop me a review, I would love to know how I did. Otherwise, see you next update.**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	22. Chapter 22

**I am unapologetic for the fact that I have not updated all summer; I apologize for my apathy. *raises eyebrow* I also apologize to my lovely beta for not getting this to her before I posted, but it really does need to be finished. Anyway, making up expletives is fun.**

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Ephidel snarled and placed a kick squarely in the middle of Zephiel's chest, knocking the young man to the ground. That was all he had time for, though, before an avalanche of steel came crashing down upon his own blade. With a flick of the wrist and a quarter turn he freed himself of Durandal's weight, but not for long. He spun to the left as Eliwood lunged forward, batting Durandal away as Eliwood followed his dodge.

"Not even a hello, Eliwood? It's been so long my young lord—oh, or should I say Marquess Pherae?" Ephidel asked. His tone was light and dismissive, as if he were exchanging snide pleasantries with a duke, jockeying to flaunt the trivial.

Eliwood said nothing to Ephidel, but instead looked toward Zephiel. He noticed a bristling look of outrage on the prince's face before it was swept away by a tide of indifference.

"Marquess Pherae," he said, switching his sword to the other arm, "we should not tarry."

"He's right," Oswin said, adjusting his grip on the lance he held. "We haven't the time for Ephidel's taunting."

"No, we don't," Eliwood agreed, raising Durandal a bit higher, so it was level with Ephidel's head.

Ephidel's teeth flashed as he smirked, a hollow laugh escaping as the three moved to converge upon the morph.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"By Elimine's vows, how many blasted stairs are there?"

Lyn waited a few more steps before speaking, "Too many. This is Bern though, there's a special place in their hearts, and castles, for dungeons. And it's very, _very_ deep."

Hector grumbled, "The only thing they'd need a dungeon this deep for would be if they planned on hiding from dragons."

"Maybe that's what they used it for," Guy whispered.

Neither Hector nor Lyn bothered to remind him that Bern was founded after the Scouring. A few minutes later the end of the seemingly endless staircase came into view and the trio stopped just shy of the last step. Slowly Guy peered around the curve of the inside wall into the long, dank corridor stretched out before them.

"Nothing," he said, stepping out onto the dungeon's cobblestone floor. Lyn followed and then Hector; the small group quietly made their way past empty cell after empty cell. An occasional torch lit the way, but besides the lilting flicker of flame there was no movement.

"Of course, they just had to build Elibe's longest corridor to go with that confounded stairway. I doubt we're even under the castle anymore," Hector said, casting a backward glance over his shoulder. All he saw was the glow of torchlight, winking out as they trekked deeper into the dungeons.

Hector was about to speak again when they came to an intersection, at which they faced a decision between the path they were on and one that forged off to the right.

"Well?" Lyn asked, looking at the men on either side.

"That way," Hector and Guy droned, while pointing in either direction.

"Guy, it makes no sense to go that way, we should keep going the way we are," Hector said. "We can go down that corridor if we find nothing at the end of this one."

"I don't think it matters, as long as we don't go over the same one twice," Guy answered. "And I think it would be good to switch things up, this one's not going well. The longer we go down this hallway without finding anything, the less likely we will at all."

"Guy that makes no sense at all."

"Sure it does."

"Bah!"

Hector ended the argument by reaching into the folds of his cloak and producing a small figurine.

"Is that a Goddess Icon?" Guy asked, taking a closer look at the small figure. "Careful, those are fragile."

"I know," Hector growled. "Even pieces, we go my way, odd pieces then yours."

"Pieces? What do you-"

Guy stopped as Hector tossed the rare figurine into the air. He watched wide eyed as it spun in the air and then hit the floor. The Sacaen's eyebrows disappeared into his headband as the figurine bounced once, twice, and then a third time before rattling to halt.

"It didn't break…" he said, "I think that counts as one piece. One is odd, we go my way."

At that he headed off down the new corridor. Lyn cast Hector a smile before following, "It was meant to be."

Hector frowned in puzzlement and picked up the icon. Matthew had given it to him on the eve of his coronation. It was one of a pair; a pair that Matthew had said would be needed if Hector was going to make it through a year as Marquess. He'd wanted to throttle the rogue that night, although he'd really been quite pleased.

Hector tucked the tiny figure away and jogged after the two, thinking that maybe it was as Lyn had said. Perhaps they were supposed to go this way.

After what seemed much too long, Guy came to a halt, "Hear that?"

Hector paused, straining his ears to listen. After a minute he was able to discern the sounds of low, muffled voices from farther down the corridor.

"Getting close," Guy whispered.

A few minutes later and Hector had to agree. He could hear men talking, probably soldiers on guard duty. As the three came to another intersection they stopped. Again Guy peered around the corner. After a few second he withdrew, pressing his back against the wall.

"How many?" Hector asked, his tone hushed.

"Ten," Guy answered. After a quick count on his fingers he looked up at the taller man, "That's three for each of us, with one more left over. Who wants the last one?"

"This isn't splitting up vulneraries Guy," Lyn said softly. "It doesn't matter."

Hector nodded, "We can split him into thirds for all I care, so long as we do it. Ready?"

The two nodded, and Lyn's hand went to the Mani Katti at her hip. Hector switched the Wolf Beil to his left hand and took a throwing axe from its harness at the small of his back. Hefting the weapon, he looked at Guy, whose sword was already drawn. Silently he counted to three and then stepped around the corner, hurling the axe at the first back he saw.

The trio charged down the hallway, silent but for the patter of booted feet. There were no battle cries in this fight, for as the first soldier fell with an axe between his shoulder blades the others formed up, their expressions grim and silent.

Guy was the first to reach the men, his sword snaking around a soldier's lance and impaling him through the eye. A second soldier sought to skewer the young plainsman, and as the man stretched to reach him Guy grabbed a hold of the lance shaft, taking the soldier's balance before dealing him a stroke across the neck.

As Guy turned to the next soldier Hector knocked aside a spear aimed at Lyn before bashing the thrower's helm in with a backhanded swing. As the soldier crumpled in a heap Hector whirled around to face his next opponent only to find Lyn had gotten to him first.

"Turn back around," she gasped, wrenching her sword loose from the man's armored side.

Hector did, just in time to catch a glancing blow on his breastplate. The lance slid off to the side and Hector grabbed the weapon, punching the soldier in the neck with the end of the wooden shaft. The man fell to the ground, hands wrapped around his throat as his breath came in wheezing, irregular intervals. Hector threw the weapon away and kicked the man onto his stomach before hammering the base of his skull.

As he looked up Hector found there was only one more soldier, and he was running for his life.

"Got him," he breathed, and tomahawked his Wolf Beil down the hallway. It caught the man on his lower back, and with a grunt he fell to the floor.

With a groan the man began to crawl away, using his arms to drag himself down the hallway. With a frown Hector walked over and picked up his weapon; the blow had broken the soldier's spine and now Hector would have to play executioner for a man who couldn't even walk.

Eyes wide, the man looked over his shoulder as Hector approached. But it wasn't terror he saw in those eyes, Hector noticed. He stopped, looking down at the old soldier. The man's life had probably been lived out on a battlefield, fighting in one way or another. This was probably nothing new to him-the panic of death staring him in the face, trying to decide if his time had come.

"Time's up," Hector said quietly, lining up the edge of his axe with side of the man's neck.

"Lived by the sword…" the soldier panted, "It's the way you'll go too."

Hector paused, his expression grim as he gazed at the man, "I know."

The man shuddered, but did not look away as Hector's axe rose, and then fell. His head dropped to the floor with a thud, completing a lazy half turn across the cobblestones as his body collapsed.

Turning back to Lyn and Guy, Hector jerked his head towards the cell the soldiers had been guarding, "Either of you find the keys?"

Lyn held out her hand, a ring of keys dangling off the end of an outstretched index finger. Taking the key ring Hector tried one after another until a muted click came from the lock's inner mechanism. He nudged the door open with his foot, peering into the room. There were no torches, the only light came from the hallway outside. Pushing the door open further the torchlight revealed a chair, hewn of stone in the center of the room.

Hector took a step forward, halfway inside the room. He saw nothing, and took another step. Looking to either side it seemed the room was empty. There was nothing in any of the corners, and Hector's attention quickly turned towards the chair. The only place to hide was behind it.

Keeping his back the wall, Hector worked his way around the edge of the room. As he moved he spied what appeared to be a pile of rags behind the chair. Quickly it turned into what appeared to be a dead body, propped up against the stone. And what appeared to be a dead body quickly turned into Matthew.

"Matthew!" Hector exclaimed, his voice a harsh whisper.

Running over to the spy's inert form, Hector bent before letting out a below and throwing the body to the ground. Reaching up he removed a jagged piece of shale from his shoulder. He stared at the stone, a single drop of blood dripping off its edge, and then down at Matthew. His eyes were wide open now, staring at nothing as he began to gasp.

"Thought I was dead...didn't you, heh," he heaved. His eyes focused on Hector and then, "Oh saints…Lord Hector? You thought…you thought you could…ha! Hector's bigger, much more-"

Hector continued to stare as Matthew threw his arms apart, gesticulating wildly as he raved on about things only he understood.

"He's gone mad," Hector said, bending over once again to pick up the emaciated body at his feet. "Whatever they did, it's sent him off the edge. I thought losing Leila would drive him crazy, but he survived only to-"

Matthew howled as Hector dragged him to his feet, punching the lord feebly. Hector growled and hoisted him up and over the chair, setting him down in the stony seat. Matthew pushed himself up against the back of the chair using his arms, his legs dangling out in front of him like small child. Seeing Lyn and Guy in the door he gasped.

"Nonono, now he's making morphs out of…out of…" Matthew's sentence trailed off into crazed musings as he glanced at the three in turn.

"Hector," Lyn said, stepping into the room, "look."

He followed her outstretched finger, pointing to Matthew's knees. White and knobby, they stood out beneath his ragged pants as if he had no skin at all. Dark bruises encircled the knee caps, and Hector took a step closer.

"Matthew, what'd they-"

"No no! Get away from me!" Matthew shouted, sliding off the stone chair in an attempt to get away. His knees buckled as he hit the floor, and he began to shriek. Hector paused, his lip curling in disgust as he saw Matthew's knees now bent one way just as easily as the other.

"Broke his knees," Hector muttered, ducking into a flurry of blows as he bent and returned the legs to their normal appearance.

"Matthew," Lyn said calmly, stepping closer as Hector picked him up like a child. "Can you understand me?"

Matthew laughed as he answered Lyn's question, "No, I can't understand you, so stop talking to me. Leave me alone-"

He would have kept talking but for Guy, who stepped forward, knocking him on the side of the head with his sword pommel.

"Guy!" Lyn said, whirling on the Sacaen.

"Listen," Guy said, before she could continue. He paused, looking at his unconscious friend before speaking, "I think he's going to die. Maybe not, but I'm not holding my breath. He's been through a lot, and if he does manage to live through it, he won't be worse off for a knock on the head. He's raving mad and…and we need to get out of here as soon as possible."

Lyn blinked, unaccustomed to Guy being so forceful, and then nodded sharply, "Yes, you're right. Let's go."

Leading the trio she exited the room and headed back the way they'd come. As they intersected with the first hallway they'd travelled Hector spoke up.

"What are we going to do with him when we get back? Eliwood's bound to need our help and I can't haul him around all day."

Guy shrugged, "The Sacaens say worrying about problems you've yet to encounter…oh no."

The three stopped as from farther down the hallway a figure made its way toward them. Slowly golden eyes appeared, glowing out of the darkness, along with a tear-drop face framed by long, sable locks. Her soft leather boots made no noise as she moved, her cloak fluttering softly in the stagnant dungeon air. Silently, Limstella crept towards them.

"What's the rest of that saying?" Hector asked absentmindedly, his eyes on the morph as he laid Matthew on the floor, up against the wall.

"I forget," Guy answered flatly. "All I know is we can stop worrying about Eliwood."

"You think we can't handle her? We have before, show some spine. Come on now, Eliwood can't hold on forever!" Hector roared, brandishing his axe as he covered the distance between himself and the morph.

With a cry Hector's axe fell and in a flash of steel Limstella stopped him in his tracks, the blade of Hector's Wolf Beil balanced on the edge of a dagger. She said nothing, simply eyed him from behind her outstretched arm.

Hector jumped back, shouting as he came in for another attack, Lyn and Guy at his side. Before the clash, though, a voice cut through the din. A voice calm and level, yet behind which was pent up a sea of impatience and anger.

"Are you a giant, Limstella? Will you freeze the blood in my veins? I'd like to know, because although you do not seem to be as great as any of these, you seem...worthy."

From the corridor they had just come Karel appeared, his Wo Dao loose in its sheath. His face remained void of any expression, but his eyes gleamed in the dark, reflecting the torchlight as he watched the morph.

"Karla's dead," he said flatly. "She always wanted me to be something more, but this is too much. As long as you and Ephidel are alive, nothing can change. All of Elibe is frozen, stuck in a war we thought was over. You're impeding progress."

With that he leaned forward, his sword slipping from its sheath, and suddenly the distance between the two was closed. Limstella moved as he did and the two met, sword on dagger, Limstella mouthing silent incantations.

"What now?" Guy asked.

Hector bent, picking up Matthew as he answered, "Run!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Left, right, left again; Faust's eyes darted back and forth like a cornered animal. And a cornered animal he might as well have been. Around him the battle raged, but more immediately around him were what he thought some of his best mercenaries. All of them, regrettably, seemed to be pointing the sharp end of their weapons at him.

"I never was a good judge of character," he prattled, eyes wide as he looked around, "but what a way to go."

Nasir said nothing, simply watched the man for the inevitable move that was coming. Whether that move would come as an attack, attempt at escape, or plea for his life Nasir did not know. As such his gaze did not waver, despite the madness surrounding them.

"So you're not happy with the pay?" Faust said, his voice void of mirth, "I can pay you more, more than whatever _he_ is."

He had directed the statement at Mia, nodding towards Nasir as he issued the offer. Mia let out a single, hoarse laugh.

"Ha! You think he pays us? I liked you better when you wouldn't quit with the jokes."

"Who then?" Faust asked, looking around.

"Him."

Faust whirled, catching Ragnell along the blade of his axe as Ike came at him from behind.

"Ike? Devil's axe, you're with them?"

Ike didn't answer, but threw the older man back towards Mia. Faust turned again, throwing his axe at Ike as he drew his sword, parrying Mia's own blade.

"Seriously, talk to me," Faust said, turning again to face Ike and staggering under the force of the blow. "You don't like Ephidel? Fine, me neither. I can disappear, I won't talk."

"Doubt that," Ike grunted, battering the man's sword aside and kicking him on the side of the knee.

With a snap the tendons tore and Faust dropped to the ground, looking up as Ike approached. "Saints in hell boy, just listen to me! I've run from other jobs, I can run from this one, just let me go!"

Ike frowned, shaking his head, "No. Adelaide knew there was no running from this. She accepted it, and to be honest I'd rather fight her again that listen to this."

"Then tell me this," Faust said, nodding towards Soren, who had stood silently at Ike's back until then, "How is he alive? I want to know."

Soren's eyes narrowed, "Kill him Ike. He's just trying to distract you; we've got to go."

"Listen to me!" Faust shrieked, his voice cracking as he edged away from Ike. He stopped as the tip of Mia's sword pricked the back of his neck. "At least let me fight, die with a sword in my hands! Where's your honor?"

"Boss?" Mia asked, looking up.

"Soren's right. And he had a sword; it's lying over there on the ground. Kill him."

Faust screamed as Mia's sword buried itself a bit farther in his neck, and he promptly fell flat on his face.

"Boss…" Mia said, bending over and checking his pulse, "He fainted."

"I thought he would," Ike said. Leaning over, he drew a hunting knife from his boot and slashed both the man's wrists and ankles, severing the thick tendon just above the back of the heel. "There. He won't be fit to walk if he survives the battle, not to mention hold a sword. Let's go. Eliwood will be needing us."

As they headed for the castle's main doors, still thrown wide open in the chaos, a voice rang out across the battlefield, "Ike! Wait!"

Ike froze for a second and then turned to Soren, watching a lone rider make his way across the battlefield, "What now…"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Kent sat next to Sain, who still had the book locked in a tight embrace. The two were in a small house, near the edge of the castle town, looking out across the distant battlefield. It was nearly impossible to see what was going on, the only thing visible from their vantage point were the castle gates.

"Do you see him?" Kent asked, looking over at Sain, who stared blankly ahead. His eyes were glazed over and he didn't respond, not that Kent had thought he would. The knight hadn't moved since Kent had set him down on a stool by the window.

"Well, let me know when you see him," Kent said, keeping up the one sided conversation he had started half an hour ago.

As he spoke a group of horsemen rode by the gates, and it was then that Sain stirred, pointing to a mounted archer among their ranks, "There."

Kent looked, and raised an eyebrow, "Rath?"

"He'll take it…" Sain mumbled, rising from his seat and making his way to the door.

"Bramimond wanted Rath to have that tome?" Kent asked, following Sain outside. "Rath?"

Sain didn't answer as he clambered up onto a horse, forgetting to untie it from where Kent had lashed the reins. Kent watched as Sain grew agitated, digging his heels into the horse as he tried in vain to make it move. Finally the ginger knight sighed, walking to the post and untying the reins before vaulted up behind his friend.

The horse surged forward, nearly bucking Sain off, who still had both hands on the dark tome. As they neared the battle Kent realized how bad it truly was. They had only been able to see a small part of it from where they had hidden; he now saw how wide spread the fighting was over the sprawling urban landscape.

"There," Kent pointed towards a group of soldiers led by Marcus, armor slick with blood and grime. Behind him rode Rath, high on his horse despite an open wound which bled into his eyes.

Turning towards the group Kent directed their steed through the houses, avoiding as much of the fighting as possible until he was directly behind Marcus' troop. Then, with Sain shouting and kicking the whole way, he dragged the verdant knight off their mount and tied him to a fence post.

"Back soon," he huffed, climbing back onto the horse and drawing his sword. It had been hard enough getting there with both Sain and the horse to see to, it would be impossible to reach Rath among all the fighting if he had to keep Sain from falling off every time the horse changed directions.

As when one plunged into cold water, Kent found himself holding his breath as he fell into the chaotic battle. His arm darted about, both attacking and defending as he pushed to reach Marcus' troop, which had made its way further toward the gates. It seemed as if he never would; everywhere he looked he could tell the tide was beginning to shift. To the left he saw Raven fighting three soldiers, his back pressed hard against Lucius'. To the right he saw Lowen, his steed long abandoned, leap in front of Rebecca and take a lance to the hip that had been aimed at her back. And in front of him he could see Rath, but just couldn't seem to reach him.

"Rath!" he shouted, his voice swept away among the battle cries.

He spurred the horse to move farther in, standing high in the stirrups as he laid soldiers open left and right. Only a few men separated him from Rath now, but still the plainsman was deaf to Kent's shouting.

As the knight stabbed a man through the shoulder he felt the sword give, breaking off in the man's arm and leaving him with the hilt and an inch of blade. Pulling his arm back, he tossed the broken weapon at Rath's back. It bounced off his armor, causing the Sacaen to whirl around in his saddle, his bow trained on the nearest of Bern's soldiers.

"Rath!" Kent shouted again, drawing a second sword from the sheath on his steed's left flank and brandishing it in the air.

Finally Rath looked up, noticing Kent for the first time. After fighting through a small group of men the two met, shouting in each other's ears over the tremendous roar.

"What?" Rath asked, drawing his own sword to deal with a soldier too close for a bow.

"Come with me! Sain needs to see you!" Kent answered, pointing towards the rear of the battlefield.

Rath said nothing, just gave the knight an odd look before riding off in the direction Kent had indicated. As the two broke free from the mob of fighting soldiers they galloped down the street, riding into an alley that turned back in the direction they'd come. At the end they found Sain, still struggling with his bonds. Rath eyed the crazed knight warily, who opted to simply pull against the rope that held him instead of untie himself so he might maintain his grip on the tome.

"Sain," Kent said hurriedly, sliding off his horse and untying his friend, "I've brought Rath."

Sain looked up at Rath as Kent threw the rope to the ground, "Ah…he'll do. One of us only because there was no one else, he can hold it…"

At that he extended an arm up towards Rath, offering the tome to him.

"What is that?" Rath asked. "I'm no mage."

"Take it," Sain said, his voice wavering.

"It's…it's a very important tome," Kent said. "It's also what's made him like this, but he hasn't let us anywhere near it. I would take it myself if he'd let me, but when he saw you he immediately wanted you to have it."

Rath was silent for a while, and then reached out and grasped the tome. As it passed from Sain's hand to his the green clad knight collapsed. He hadn't truly slept since first receiving the tome and it was finally taking its toll.

Rath looked at the tome, his expression one of mild interest, "I don't see what's so special."

"Well let me see it," Kent said.

Rath handed him the book, and as soon as it passed hands Kent reeled back, his eyes going out of focus and his mouth falling open. Fumbling not to drop it he pressed it back into Rath's open palm.

"What was that about?" Rath asked as Kent regained his composure.

"I don't…I don't know," he gasped, "and I don't know why you can hold it while Sain and I cannot, but I suppose that's why Bramimond wanted you to have it. Perhaps you are meant to protect it. He said we were to give it to a boy, although from Bramimond's perspective we all must have been nothing more than children."

"No…deliver it," Sain said wearily, using the fence post to rise to his feet, "He's supposed to deliver it."

"To who?" Rath asked. He didn't look particularly pleased with the prospect of being a delivery boy.

"Soren," Sain answered. "I don't remember anything else, but…yes, I'm sure Bramimond wanted Soren to have it."

Kent was silent for a moment before speaking, "I guess that makes a bit more sense. He'll be able to handle it, then?"

"Yes…I don't remember why I gave it to Rath, but Soren's like him…he can handle it," Sain answered.

"So give this to Soren?" Rath asked, looking down at the tome in his hand.

"If you could," Sain answered, closing his eyes wearily, "And by the way, have you seen Rebecca?"

"No."

At that he wheeled his horse about, directing it back towards the battle.

"I saw her," Kent spoke up, allowing his friend to lean upon his shoulder as he helped him back, away from the fighting, "She's fine…Lowen's watching out for her."

"Good," Sain sighed, too tired to speak further.

"Come on. This'll be at an end soon, we need to be ready to go when it is," Kent continued, neglecting to mention he was unsure of which end it would come to.

Sain said nothing, simply shuffled along, pondering their circumstances as he was now free to do.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rath notched an arrow, loosing it upon a faceless soldier before his horse jumped the limp figure. Drawing his sword as the horse waded into the battle, Rath slashed and parried from atop the animal, all the while keeping an eye on the city gates. He could see Ike, fighting Faust at the base of the staircase leading to the large double doors of the main entrance. He needed to get through those gates before Ike finished the mercenary general off and headed inside the castle.

Looking around he didn't see how it would be possible. The mob of soldiers about him made holding his position hard enough, let alone advancing. As his gaze swept the battlefield he spied several horses without riders in the fray, their eyes wide with terror. If only they were closer he could jump across the battlefield, moving from horse to horse, but as it was he didn't see how…

Slowly an idea sprouted in the nomad's succinct, practical mind. It would be hard, but he really didn't see any other way. Watching carefully out of the corner of his eye, Rath pretended not to notice a soldier rushing towards him with a horseslayer. As the soldier thrust, his whole body leaning forward in an attempt to skewer Rath where he sat, the nomad turned so that the wicked point glanced off his shoulder. Rolling to the side Rath swung underneath his mount, legs burning with the effort it took to remain upside down.

Urging the confused animal forward, he slowly made his way towards the gates. No one bothered with the seemingly riderless horse, and if they noticed the man hanging upside down underneath they were too busy to care. As he neared the gates Rath suddenly felt his legs spasm and then he was gone, rolling out from underneath his horse before he was trampled. Springing to his feet he notched an arrow, releasing it with a pronounced twang as he leapt back onto his horse.

Directing his steed towards a small pocket of Lycian soldiers he made his way toward the gates. Faust has just fallen to the ground at Ike's feet, dead or unconscious Rath didn't know, and he could see Soren next to the tall mercenary.

"Ike! Wait!" he shouted, waving an arm as Ike turned to go into the castle.

Turning back, Ike said something to Soren as Rath rode through the gates. Reaching into his saddlebag the nomad withdrew Bramimond's tome, holding it close as he slid off his horse.

"Ike," he said breathlessly, acknowledging the taller man with a nod before turning to Soren. "Soren, this is for you."

Soren eyed the tome, "For me? From whom?"

"Sain gave it to me, said it was meant for you. Take it."

Soren reached out, grabbing a hold of the ancient volume. He flipped it open, examined the pages, and then closed it again.

"Apocalypse…" he said quietly, as if he were trying out the name, "Yes, that's it...Ike, we can go now."

"Good. Rath, be seeing you when this is all over."

"If you're lucky," Rath answered, mounting his steed.

"Yes, very lucky…" Ike muttered, turning to the castle once again, "Greil Mercenaries, we're not done yet, not by a long shot. Move it!"

The group fled the courtyard, running up the shallow staircase towards the large double doors. As they reached the top several of the guards turned to look at them.

"Stand down!" Ike thundered, knowing most of the guards would recognize him. In fact, he remembered some of them himself.

"General Ike…" one said, his voice and expression uncertain.

"Look away, you didn't see me and I didn't see you. Or you can die, and then it won't matter what you saw," Ike continued.

The guards paused, looked at each other, and then turned their attention to the nearest patch of Lycians.

"Guard the gates!" one shouted as Ike and company slipped by. "To me! No one enters!"

Mia cast a glance over her shoulder as they stormed into the castle's receiving hall, "That was easy."

"I would have preferred to kill them," Soren added, "They're a liability."

"We didn't have the time," Ike dismissed, "Let's go. Throne room's dead ahead."

"Before that," Nasir interrupted, "I hear fighting. Down there…"

His head turned to their right where a staircase spiraled into the depths of the castle.

Ike held his breath, straining his ears before answering, "I don't hear anything."

"No, I hear it too," Mist agreed, Lethe and Skrimir nodding in affirmation.

"Ike we don't have time," Soren reminded him.

"No…but we can't leave anyone behind either. We're all in this together, whether it goes well or not. Can you tell who it is?"

"Hector," Lethe said. "He sounds like you when he fights. And a mage. I can feel the magic, it's thick in the air."

"Okay. Soren, you go help Hector, meet us in the throne room when you're finished."

The mage's frown deepened, "Understood."

"Good, let's-"

Lethe held up a hand, "Wait. Someone's coming."

At that Hector appeared around the curvature of the staircase, a body in his arms, Guy and Lyn close behind him.

"Hector! What's going on?" Ike asked.

"Run!" Hector shouted, "Limstella's down there, for now she's preoccupied but I don't know for how long!"

Ike took the advice, starting down the long hallway once again, "Preoccupied with what?"

"Swordsman from the war with Nergal, goes by the name Karel. Man kills like Jaffar only worse, and you can quote me on that."

"Karel? I was wondering where he'd gone. Are you sure it was him?" Ike questioned.

"You've met him?"

"He helped with all this, I would even say maybe it was because of him."

Hector shook his head, "I don't know who you met, but this was definitely Karel. We ran into Limstella in the dungeons and suddenly he comes out of nowhere. Slammed into her full tilt like it's all he's been waiting for his entire life."

"He said he had something to see to, he must have been looking for her."

"Yeah well, the fact that he was _looking_ for Limstella means it was him. Only Karel picks a fight with a monster like that."

"I'll have to ask him about it later," Ike mused, slowing as they reached the towering doors leading to the throne room.

"If you can find him," Hector muttered, "That's enough of that though, what's the plan?"

"Not much of a plan at this point Hector. Storm in, kill Ephidel, get out before Desmond knows what happened," Ike answered.

"I can appreciate that," Hector acknowledged, setting Matthew down just outside the doors, hidden behind a large banner.

"I thought you would. Ready?"

"Just a minute." Hector turned to Mist, "Do you have sleep staff?"

"Um…yes," she answered, "but it doesn't have much left in it. Another use, maybe two. Why?"

"Can you put Matthew to sleep? Not that he isn't out already, but I don't want him waking up anytime soon. He's in bad shape."

"Yes. I'll stay with him…Ike don't you dare run off again."

"I won't. Do what you can, we'll be back soon, promise," he assured. "Ready now?"

Hector closed his eyes, inhaling deeply before a smirk spread across his features, "Not at all. Let's go."

* * *

**This chapter was awful, and I mean downright _terrible_. I really need to wrap this story up already and it's fighting me every step of the way. So I hope there weren't any glaring problems in this chapter, as usual feel free to point them out as is your wont. Read and review, or not...all that jazz; they're nice but I really am indifferent by this point. And yes, there is a reason Rath can hold the tome. See you next update!**

**Twilight Rurouni**


	23. Chapter 23

_The saga marches on. Enjoy._

* * *

With a grunt Hector and Ike threw their shoulders against the heavy doors, feet sliding across the floor as they struggled to purchase a foothold on the slick marble. A second later Skrimir joined in and the door slowly began to swing into the room, the clashing of swords now clearly audible. There were, however, no voices coming from within.

"Good enough, let's go," Hector said, slipping through the crack they'd made between the doors.

The others followed, Ike throwing a backward glance at Mist as she hid behind the banner with Matthew. He would see her again. Turning back to the front he steeled himself for the scene to come, looking down at Mia beside him. As he entered the room he saw a whirlwind of capes and flashing blades, a mess of red hair among it all, and Oswin's grisly orange armor.

Upon seeing the newcomers the battle stopped, if only for a moment. Ephidel leapt back, his sword still light in his hand. Eliwood stood erect, Durandal at his side, looking at Ephidel with the most resentful glare Ike had ever seen cross the man's features. Zephiel was at Eliwood's side, his left arm trembling slightly, his right dripping blood onto the floor. To everyone else, it looked as if the king was fighting his own son.

"Well, Eliwood?" Ephidel said. The morph was composed, his breathing even.

Eliwood raised his sword, knowing he need not explain to his friends. They would follow him. With a shout he renewed his attack on the morph, wishing for nothing more than to simply catch Ephidel unaware, that a lucky blow might end it now. He was not looking for a heroic battle, a glorious victory to be recounted in coming years. He simply wanted an end to the story.

It seemed as if that ending would never come, though, and it was eating him alive. He had told no one, but in the past weeks his mouth had constantly been filled with the metallic tinge of blood, his saliva tainted red. If it did not end here Ephidel would surely kill him, not with sword or spell, but through the slow death of a body too weak to live. And that could not happen, he thought, not before Ninian died.

It was with this thought in mind Eliwood threw himself at Ephidel and the brief respite came to an end, and he found himself beginning to hope. Faced with twelve opponents Ephidel was soon backed into a corner, his blade flying every which way in an attempt to parry each dogged blow. His lips were moving in silent incantations as well, countering Soren's magic with his own, a slim tome in his left hand. In the end he simply couldn't keep up, and in a flash was up on the high balcony leading back into the king's private chambers.

Spinning on his heel he ran out of sight, deeper into the castle, leaving the group staring up at the empty balcony.

"Blasted morph!" Hector bellowed, running to the nearest banner and climbing straight up the wall, a feat Ike thought impossible for a man in armor.

"I can't do that," Oswin said, whirling towards the entrance, "I'm going around, meet you at the top."

"Wait," Hector called, looking down from the balcony, "Oswin, I want you to stay with Mist and Matthew. I don't want her alone to defend him if they're found."

For a moment Ike thought the knight would protest, but it passed and the man nodded, "As you wish. As it is I would just slow you down anyway."

"Stay ready," Hector added, "when we're done we need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

Without a word Oswin saluted and was off.

After the others had made their way up to the balcony they stormed into the room beyond, finding a second, smaller throne deep in the shadows. Behind it was a small door, leading down into the posterior sections of the castle.

"He's up to something," Nasir said.

"Dragons?" Ike asked.

"No, I certainly hope not. Although I fear something perverse awaits us at the end of this, something worse than what we saw in that twisted tower of Ashnard's War."

"Coming from Ephidel I wouldn't be surprised; we've been expecting the worst throughout this entire battle, I'll be glad if it's finally come."

"You would be."

Nothing more was said of it as the group hurried down the stairs, chasing a foe that seemed to delight in remaining a step ahead, a corner's turn out of sight.

Hector was soon seething, spurring the group on, "I can hear his cursed _breathing_ every time we reach a new corridor!"

At that exact moment they rounded another corner and at the far end, which split in either direction, they saw the tail end of a royal purple cape disappear.

"Finally!" Hector breathed, pushing himself to the limit in his heavy armor.

A few seconds later Ephidel was visible again, if only for a split second, as ran the other direction.

"Wrong turn?" Nasir mused, almost laughing at the absurdity of the idea.

"More likely that he didn't like what he saw coming his way; it looked like he was fleeing, and not from us," Eliwood answered.

A second later a blur of white and brown flashed at the end of the dank hall, and Eliwood knew he had been right. He turned to look at Ike, who nodded. "That was Karel. Limstella must be dead."

"Yes, but is he bent on killing Ephidel or whoever happens to be within reach of his sword?"

"Whatever he was like during the battle with Nergal, he's changed," Ike answered, his expression firm and unyielding.

"Yes," Guy added, "into the great unknown; who awaits us at the end, the power crazed abomination or homicidal maniac suffering a break from reality?"

"I will take the maniac," Skrimir offered, "I dislike Ephidel. He has no scent, it is unsettling."

"You're in good company, but I can promise you this will not be easy," Soren replied.

Skrimir frowned, turning to Lethe, "Nothing is ever easy with him. In Ashera's War, the sight of Ike's small tactician meant big problems…"

"Whatever the case, we're at the end of it," Hector said. The group had long since rounded the final corner and now was confronted with a large door, hanging partway open on its hinges. Fresh blood pooled on the stone floor, a vibrant red against the dull grey.

"I was under the impression morphs did not bleed," Soren said.

"Sonia sure did," Hector replied.

Kicking the door all the way open, Hector led the group into a cool, misty garden. Ruins stood everywhere, dilapidated walls and archways, stones strewn across the ground. Turning around Mia gaped.

"Uh…boss?"

The group turned to see the castle looming in the distance, and it was that distance which caught their attention.

"Where are we?" Mia asked, looking at Zephiel.

He remained looking up at the castle before starting, glancing around at the many eyes now fixed on him.

"I don't know, I wasn't aware this place existed."

With that they turned back around, reaching the same silent conclusion. The battle was miles away, but the war would be finished here.

Slowly they crept forward, Hector voicing what they were all feeling after a moment, "I don't like it."

"It's too quiet?" Guy offered.

"Quiet? Saints above it's anything but quiet, I can hear the battle from here. It's too still, that's the problem. Look."

Hector pointed to the nearest bush, a rhododendron, and they saw it was dead. Looking about they found that although the place had indeed once been a garden it must have been some time ago, for everything in the ruined courtyard was dead.

"Nothing's alive," Mia said softly.

Soren nodded, his gaze wandering over fallen masonry, "Nothing but us…"

"And Ephidel," Eliwood said, "which means we have no time to stand in wonder. Let's go."

He began to walk, the others following behind, but despite the urgency they seemed to crawl along. Nothing within the courtyard made a sound, and it gave the place an air of suspension, of detachment from the rest of the world; a feeling that nobody wanted to break.

Their footfalls were heavy and slow, their sense of time warped. The air was thick with humidity; vapor seemed to collect in their lungs after the cool, dank castle underground. Looking about it felt as if they were trapped in a reverie. Everything was slow and ponderous, weighing them down until they wanted nothing more than to stop. Not even to rest, but simply stop, to be still.

Ike looked back suddenly as Soren cursed loudly, something he didn't often do. The word was a slap to the face and they all turned to look at Soren, who was looking up at the crumbling inner wall they walked beside. Atop it stood Limstella, blood lazily trickling down a gnarled staff in her hand as she silently spoke into the drifting mist.

"Sleep staff," Soren said, before beginning a counter spell.

Eliwood's face paled as the truth dawned on him, as he realized what had been happening. Hector just shouted.

"Hector," Ike said, whirling around as the man pulled out a throwing axe. Behind him Lethe and Skrimir were shifting, heading for the wall. "When you rescued Matthew did you actually see Karel kill Limstella?"

"No, we didn't want to be around for that."

In an instant Ike knew what had happened. Limstella had somehow escaped and fled here, knowing Ephidel would eventually find her. That had been her blood by the door, and Ephidel had just as much been following her as running from Karel. Where those two were now, though, was no longer the issue at hand.

"This isn't good," Eliwood said, "we don't have time for this!"

"We'll have to split up," Ike said, "You go after Ephidel, I'll handle Limstella."

Eliwood didn't like the idea, his face betrayed that much, but he consented without a word. As soon as they were gone Ike turned his full attention to Limstella, who was busy dealing with Skrimir, Lethe, and Soren.

"Skrimir, get her down here!" Ike shouted, wishing there was more to do that wait for the laguz to push the morph from the wall.

Skrimir snarled and leaped forward, tackling Limstella despite the dagger which buried itself in his shoulder and the tongues of flame licking at his mane. The pair tumbled to the ground and in an instant the fight had shifted. Limstella was surrounded, blood pooling around her fallen form. She dropped her spell book and pulled the dagger from Skrimir's shoulder.

For a moment no one did anything, but watched her lying on the ground, her breathing no heavier than if she were asleep. Her eyes were focused, slowly looking from face to face, the dagger trained on each in turn.

After a moment Ike spoke.

"You're going to bleed out."

She looked up at him, her heavy lidded, golden eyes half closed, "I was going to die soon anyway. Ephidel…he changed nothing. No different from before, even though he knew…he understood what it was like. To be part of greatness one will never experience. To be so far removed…"

She looked down, removing her hand from the wounds at her side.

"From Karel?" Ike asked.

"Yes Karel. Such malevolence…"

"You represent a barrier to him."

Limstella looked back up, "No I do not. No more than I am a barrier to you now. Why do you wait?"

She sounded so disaffected, as if she were criticizing someone else who lay on the ground, dying after a failure.

"We have no time, Ike," Soren reminded him.

"No, we don't," Ike agreed, taking a step forward so he towered over the morph. He raised Ragnell, thinking of Adelaide.

"No," Limstella said, eyes still focused on where Ike had been, ignoring the wide blade above her head, "and neither do I, if I wish to be a useful puppet in the end."

Her hand disappeared into her robes, but she got no further as Ike allowed the sword to drop, her head falling back onto the ancient stonework and her body going limp. Immediately she began to dissipate, and before long there was nothing to prove she'd existed but a pile of dirty robes.

Soren approached and knelt beside the clothes, going through the folds.

"Soren, what are you doing?" Mia asked.

"She was going for something inside her cloak, something…"

He tapered off, holding up a black tome slightly larger than the one he'd received from Sain.

"What is that?" Nasir asked, his tone saying he already knew.

"Ereshkigal."

Everyone looked around, uneasy. They had been told of Nergal, and his twisted magic.

"She had it the entire time?" Lethe asked.

Soren nodded, slipping the book in his robes, "Yes, and would have had no difficulty using it I assure you."

"Why didn't she?"

"I don't know. I do know it doesn't make me any happier that she had it at all, regardless of whether or not she used it. If Ephidel gave her this then it must mean he has something far more powerful."

The group was silent as they considered the implications of Soren's words. Ike eyed everyone in the group, and then slowly turned, heading farther into the ruined courtyard. Picking up the pace the six began to run, the urgency of their situation hanging over them like a cloud. They followed the stone path through a series of broken archways which eventually led to the edge of a forest. A barely visible path continued on from there, and slowed their progress as they had to stop and decide which way to go twice before they found the other edge of forest.

"How long until an hour is up?" Ike asked, his breathing labored.

"Come and gone, best not to think of it now," Nasir answered. "Look, up there."

Ike followed his outstretched hand, pointing to a high hill along the path they were on, one side of which ended abruptly in a cliff. Nothing could be seen from below, but from the dark clouds above reigned lightning. The air was thick and smelled bitter; with every strike a rolling clap of thunder crashed into them, making it almost impossible to speak. Fighting to keep their senses under control the group continued on, making a mad dash up the hill. As they neared the top they began to pass weapons, strewn across the ground.

"What's the deal boss?" she shouted, "They wouldn't just throw them away-"

Before she could finish a lightning bolt strayed from the crest of the hill, seeming to bend through the air, and struck the tip of her weapon. She gave an uncharacteristic shriek and fell to the ground, spasms running through her body.

"Yes they did!" Soren shouted over the rumbling, running over to Mia and kicking the sword from her grip. "Ike, drop Ragnell!"

Ike stabbed his sword into the ground and a second later another bolt bent away from the top of the hill, running through the sword hilt and into the ground.

"Now get away from it!" Soren said, dragging Mia behind him as they continued up the hill. "Above all, lightning will strike metal first!"

"How does that make any sense?" Lethe said, shouting in Soren's ear as she relieved him of Mia's limp body.

"No one knows why, but it's true!"

She snarled and pushed ahead, bounding up the steep grade despite Mia's dead weight. As they went more weapons appeared along the worn path, and eventually Ike spotted even the Mani Katti, thrust into the ground as he'd done with Ragnell. The only weapon absent was Durandal. Nearing the top the group caught sight of Eliwood, an arm thrown over his face to shield him from the flashes. The others stood alongside him shielding themselves as best they could. In front of them was another stone dais, just like the one they had come through, and at its center stood Ephidel, still in the guise of the king. His eyes were closed, eyelids fluttering as he stood motionless with arms outstretched in either direction, palms turned up to the sky. Separating him from them was a nearly solid curtain of lighting, striking the pockmarked ground so rapidly trenches in the earth were being formed around the dais.

"What's going on?" Ike asked, drawing close to Eliwood as they reached the top.

"Exactly what it looks like!" Eliwood answered, holding Durandal as low to the ground as possible. "We can't get any closer! Everyone else had to abandon their weapons just to get this far!"

"Everyone but Karel!"

"What?" Eliwood asked, looking up at Ike, his expression saying he hadn't heard him over the thunder. Ike pointed and Eliwood looked over to where Karel stood, just outside the ring of lightning, his sword relaxed at his side. His robes flapped about him with each strike and his hair whipped about behind him frantically. He was staring at Ephidel.

"He was like that when we got here! I don't know how he managed to keep his sword!" Eliwood said.

"How did _you_?" Ike asked.

"I don't know, I just knew I wasn't going to give it up! It hasn't been struck yet, but I'm keeping it low just the same!"

Ike's jaw clenched as he looked at Mia, still unconscious over Lethe's shoulder. "Well, what are we going to do?" he asked.

"I don't know, there's no way for us to get at him!"

Ike couldn't believe it. They'd come so far just to stand and watch, unable to act?

"No!"

Ike turned and found Hector at his shoulder, standing tall against the concussive force of the thunder, "No way is it going to end like this Eliwood! Not after what we've been through!"

"What would you have us _do_ Hector?"

"Anything but stand here!" Hector answered, "Give me Durandal!"

"Hector no! I know this is frustrating but you can't just run in there, you'll get yourself killed!"

"It's all we have left Eliwood! Now give me Durandal before I have to-"

Hector never finished as his body began to shudder, his hands going to his ears a split second before a dissonant, high pitched droning filled the air. All around everyone fell to their knees, hands covering their ears as the eerie sound seemed to envelop them, smother them. Everyone except Soren.

As Ike rolled over onto his back, trying to figure out where it was coming from, he looked up and watched Soren move past; his robes were pulled taunt against his thin frame and the chords in his neck seemed to be carved of stone, but he remained standing. In his hands was Apocalypse, the pages strangely calm in the winds surrounding them.

As Soren neared the dais the droning began to rise in pitch, and then waver, ululating wildly. Soren's eyes widened as the wind picked up and he began to slide back, his robes pulling at him angrily. He held his arms back, allowing his outer robe to tear away, and then continued on until the lightning struck at his feet. Ike could see his mouth moving, shouting into the storm.

Quickly his body turned as he held up an outstretched arm, the force of the winds pressing the tome against his open palm, and light poured out from the book. Runes formed in the air, pulsating with the sound of the droning, and began to encircle Ephidel. At a final word from Soren, with which he shook visibly, a dark rift opened in the space above Ephidel's head as if the sky itself had been torn apart. The lightening disappeared, consumed by the void, and suddenly there was silence.

Ike's ears rang and he could tell everyone was as physically stunned as he, trying to get back on their feet as if the ground beneath them wouldn't hold still. When he managed to stand he looked up and found Soren watching Ephidel, arm still outstretched; the void above them remained, humming tremulously.

"Soren?" he said, and found he couldn't hear himself speak. Looking carefully he saw Ephidel's lips moving and realized he was speaking with Soren, who remained motionless but for his own mouth. It felt as if he were in dream.

Soren's face was set in a deep frown as he stared down Ephidel, who had opened his eyes to look at him.

"Bramimond found his heir after all; despite your apparent death," he said slowly. "It's almost unfair how he could toy with death as he did."

"He didn't have to," Soren answered, "not this time."

"Then I was careless…hubris was always Nergal's flaw too. And now you have Apocalypse," he replied.

"And you have no where left to run, or am I wrong?" Soren asked. "Will you disappear yet again and force us give chase across the entire continent?"

"No. This is what I wanted after all, even if you do have Bramimond's favorite book."

Soren paused, examining their enemy. What could Ephidel do now that he'd been cornered?

"Soren," Ike called.

Soren ignored him, "Ephidel, what were you planning to do? How were you planning to bring dragons back?"

"Bring them back?" he said, "You misunderstand Soren. The plan was never to bring them back…"

He shifted, his eyes going to others as they got to their feet and gathered around Soren.

"Then what was it," Soren said, his tone doubtful.

"I'll not be the one to tell," Ephidel answered, smiling faintly.

"Wrong," Eliwood spoke up, leveling Durandal towards the morph. The group advanced, Lethe and Skrimir prowling forward in their beast forms. "We won't have this happening again."

"You speak as if it's over," Ephidel said, backing up as far as he could until his heels were at the precipice behind him.

Eliwood flicked the tip up to his neck, "Tell us what you were planning."

"Hector," Ephidel said, ignoring the blade at his throat, "I can't help but notice you didn't bring Armads…why?"

"Answer the question," Hector growled, "don't change the subject."

"That _is_ the subject," Ephidel said. His tone had suddenly iced over.

"Explain."

Ephidel's eyes slowly moved from one marquess to the other, "Do you know the nature of quintessence? It's the building block of life, it can be used to create anything at all."

"You know that's a lie, everything Nergal ever created was perverse, twisted and unnatural," Eliwood answered.

"Because he _wanted_ it that way!" Ephidel shouted. "They were easily controlled; his creations had no minds, no selves. Nergal was so shortsighted. Quintessence is so much more than he used it for. If one has the quintessence of a creature, it is possible to recreate that creature a thousand times over."

"No," Soren said, "all you need are the exact specifications of the being, the quintessence doesn't matter. Stop stalling."

"You're wrong, Soren, as unaccustomed as you are to hearing that. The exact specifications are needed to create a morph, but if one has the quintessence of the original…the specifications lie within. It can be recreated perfectly."

Soren shifted slightly, trying to decide what to believe.

"Even so," he continued, "how does that relate?"

"Do you know why the eight heroes took up the eight weapons of the Scouring?" Ephidel asked.

"Stop changing the subject," Hector said.

"I'm not. Do you know?"

Eliwood shook his head, "No, and even if this is important you're still wasting time."

"Quintessence," Ephidel said, "The eight weapons absorbed quintessence, that of dragons. And quintessence…lingers."

Eliwood's inhaled sharply and drove Durandal's point against the morphs skin, drawing a single drop of blood.

"Peace. It doesn't linger for millennia; the quintessence of the dragons killed in the Scouring has long since dissipated. That sword hasn't killed a dragon since you slew your beloved wife," he said, his lips twitching with a smile, "and we all know what Bramimond did with _that_ quintessence."

Eliwood eyed him warily. If what he said was true they were still safe; Hector killed the remaining dragon summoned as Nergal's death gambit, so the quintessence would still be with Armads. Eliwood had been too spent from his own battle with the druid.

"He's still not answering the question," Zephiel spoke up, cradling his wounded arm as he stepped up next to Eliwood.

"Eliwood," Ephidel continued, ignoring Zephiel's comment, "five hundred years ago Nergal was just another man, a powerful man, but a man just the same. He and Athos met, and the two became friends."

"We know this story," Hector said, "they wound up taking separate paths with the knowledge they obtained in Arcadia. Eventually Athos and the Arcadian dragons had to confront him, and he escaped. What of it?"

"Nergal loved quintessence. He may have abused it, but he knew its importance, and could tell the difference between that of commoners and people such as Elbert. He would retain quintessence such as that, waiting to use it for something truly magnificent. Did you know that, Eliwood? He used your father's quintessence to create Marquess Laus's morph."

Eliwood said nothing.

Ephidel went on, "In the end, Nergal never reached his ultimate goal. He had been saving certain quintessence for something terrible. Sensational."

"And so his quintessence was lost, yes, how does that have anything to do with here and now?" Eliwood asked.

"His was lost, true. His quintessence, which would have been unimaginably powerful in its own right, was lost, gone forever. And yet, it paled when compared to what he possessed, what he had retained so long it was almost part of him…do you know why those weapons were so effective in your fight with Nergal? Athos did, he surely must have told you."

"Enlighten me," Hector said, his voice rumbling as he tried to contain his impatience.

"Five hundred years ago Nergal was confronted by his friend Athos, who had the whole of Arcadia at his back. They won that fight, but it cost them. Many good men died in that fight with Nergal…and more than few good dragons," Ephidel finished. He smiled, his steady gaze meeting Eliwood's own. His hands went to the blade at his throat.

"Karel _kill him_!" Soren shouted, the horrific realization dawning.

As Karel moved Ephidel wrenched Durandal's tip down and pitched himself forward, impaling himself through the stomach and sliding down the length of the blade. Both hands wrapped themselves around the cross guard and as he made contact with the great blue gemstone at the base of the blade a flash of heat and wind erupted from the sword.

Eliwood was thrown, rolling across the ground as Ephidel dropped to his knees and bowed low over Durandal, pulling it free from his midsection. Turning quickly he parried Karel and tore into him so fast Eliwood could not see the exchange.

"Eliwood what's going on?" Hector shouted, he fists clenching at the axe which should have been in his hands.

"He wanted Durandal and Armads the entire time," Eliwood answered, vaguely aware of Skrimir leaping for Ephidel as he pieced together what was happening. "Nergal stole the quintessence of dragons when he fought Athos the first time, but it must not have been enough because he kept it within himself all that time…how could we not have known? Why didn't Athos tell us?"

"You mean three years ago the quintessence he stole from _Arcadia_ was taken into Durandal?" Hector asked.

"You tell me," Nasir interrupted, watching as Ephidel began to spasm and the air around him warped from heat. "Athos may not have thought it important for you to know, he couldn't have known this would happen."

At that moment Lethe appeared, a collection of discarded weapons in her arms; she bore cuts where the bare blades pressed against her skin, but she held on tightly.

"Here," she said, dumping her load at Hector's feet.

Hector bent, picking up his Wolf Beil, and tossed Ragnell to Ike, "What good are these supposed to do? Look at that."

Ephidel was on all fours, his hands still firmly wrapped around the gemstone, and both Karel and Skrimir were held at bay by the waves of heat washing over the group. Even from a distance Eliwood could feel his skin blistering, he couldn't imagine moving closer.

"Nasir!" he said, turning to the dragon, "Can't you do anything?"

"Yes, but what do you want done exactly? I'm not sure if we can kill him at the moment…I suppose I could throw him off the cliff," he answered.

Eliwood looked again and had to agree. It was no longer the air around him that warped, but Ephidel himself. Sections blurred in and out of focus, as if seen through water.

"Then what do we do?" Hector asked.

"He came here for a reason," Eliwood answered, picking up a silver sword from the pile at Hector's feet, "the gate. We guard it. Lethe how is Mia?"

"She's up, but she can't even see straight," Lethe answered, shaking her head. "Lyn and Guy are with her at the moment."

"That will have to be enough. Let's go, Ephidel doesn't get near that gate."

As he spoke a low thrumming filled the air, wavering as it did when Soren had used Apocalypse. Looking over at the mage, though, Eliwood was sure it wasn't him.

"What is that?" he asked, already knowing the answer as the group placed themselves between Ephidel's shifting form and the gate.

"Exactly what you think it is," Zephiel answered. They watched as what seemed to be another rift appeared, this one enveloping Ephidel completely. Veins of light raced along its surface, and it began to pulse frantically, growing and shrinking in size.

"I can feel him, get ready. One way or another, this is the final stand," said Nasir. He was standing at the back of the group, directly in the middle of the dais.

Suddenly the wavering stopped on a high note, the sound physically bearing down on them, and the void exploded in a flash of light and heat. As they turned away, shielding their eyes, Eliwood heard a roar. He knew what Ephidel had done.

Before them was a dragon, black and twisted. His underbelly was pallid, mottled with darker flecks which stretched down from his back. Along his spine ran protective bone plates, a stark white on black, and sprouting from just above his shoulders was a pair of folded wings. His claws kneaded the dirt beneath him, feeling the new power housed within his body. Golden eyes stared down at them.

Eliwood's eyes did not look back. He was focused on Ephidel's feet, where Durandal lay momentarily forgotten. He had to get it back.

"Cover me," he said to Soren before dashing towards the sword.

Ephidel moved, faster than ever, and Eliwood barely had time to jump before his thick tail crashed into where he had been a second before. Behind him he again heard the thrumming of Soren's magic, and Ephidel turned his attention away from him. The dragon leapt into the air, circling the dais as he climbed higher.

"Nasir!" Eliwood shouted, snatching Durandal up from the ground.

The man nodded and shifted, his white wings flaring out as he chased Ephidel into the sky.

"What's he doing?" Hector asked, his head panning slowly as he followed the dragons' flight.

"Getting a better angle," Eliwood answered, "he wants to incinerate us from overhead. Hopefully Nasir will bring him down before he can do that."

"Eliwood," Ike said, "last time the dragons came at Nergal's call, right? How much easier will it be for Ephidel now that he's absorbed a dragon's quintessence?"

Eliwood shook his head, his eyes on the dragons all the while, "He said he wasn't going to bring them back, and I think he meant it."

"Which means he has something worse planned," Ike said.

Above them Nasir and Ephidel were locked in close combat, tearing and biting at each other only to break apart at the last minute before hitting the ground. Gaining altitude they would inevitably crash together again and begin the violent plummet back to earth.

"Nasir is having a hard time," Soren said, strafing around the dais as he watched the battle above, "he's smaller than Ephidel."

"Yes," Ike said, "but remember what Ninian said."

"What was that?" Soren asked.

"He's fast. And as strange as it sounds, Ephidel's only been a dragon for the past minute; Nasir's had his whole life."

Above them Nasir tucked his wings in as Ephidel's stretched out to propel himself backwards, and the smaller white dragon dropped underneath the larger, his mouth opening to release a stream of ice. His underside suddenly bathed in deadening cold, the black dragon rolled to the side, his wings pin-wheeling. As he moved, his leathery wings stretched tight, Nasir darted up from underneath and attacked the vulnerable webbing. The tear could be heard on the ground and Ephidel roared as he recoiled, blasting Nasir with a ball of flame, yet the damage had been done. The two began to descend, Ephidel spiraling down as he dealt with Nasir's attacks from above.

Watching them land Eliwood rushed forward, Durandal in hand, his friends beside him. The two dragons were a tangled mess of black and white, blood dripping off their bony frames.

"Nasir, away!" Eliwood shouted, feeling Durandal lurch as if it had a mind of its own. He knew well that it did not discriminate between friends, foes, or loves.

But Nasir could not move; Ephidel's jaws were locked firmly around the smaller dragon's wing and he pulled them back, toward the cliff.

"He knew more about Durandal than us, there's no way he's letting you get close," Hector said, "go around."

Eliwood nodded and ran around the left, knowing Ephidel would keep Nasir between them. Karel followed him as Hector, Lethe, and Skrimir ran around to the right. Ike, Soren, and Zephiel stood between the dragons and the gate. It was so strange, Ike thought. Just like in their battle with Ashera they were so close, in the middle of their fight, yet they had to move with such great care.

"Boss, what's going on?"

Ike turned as Mia came up on his side. Behind her were Lyn and Guy.

"Can you see?" he said.

"Yeah, I meant why are we just standing here," she said, watching Ephidel and Nasir struggle as Eliwood and the others got into position.

We can't let Ephidel reach the gate," Ike answered, "and he's making sure to keep Nasir between himself and Eliwood."

In front of them Ephidel had turned to face Eliwood and Karel, all the while swatting at the group behind him with his tail. Still, it couldn't go on much longer either way.

"Come on," Ike said, advancing towards the dragons, "we can help as long as we stay between them and the gate."

The six moved forward, fanning out to meet the others and form a semicircle around the thrashing mound of wings, scales, and claws. Finally Ephidel released Nasir and lunged towards Ike, the white dragon's crumpled wing flapping uselessly as he withdrew. Before Ike could move Skrimir slammed into the side of Ephidel's head, taking him down to the ground as he attacked the eyes and throat.

With a deep throated shriek Ephidel righted himself, Skrimir still clinging to his head, and then slammed the lion against the ground. Bones broke, and the laguz rolled away as Ephidel surged forward again.

Ike shouted the command and the group split, Ike sliding under the dragons legs, Soren back to the dais, Lyn and Guy to the right, Zephiel and Mia to the left. Ike grabbed a hold of his tail, clambering up his back while the others attacked his legs and feet. Hector's group came in from behind, and ahead of them Soren's eyes were down, scrolling across the pages of his tome. Ike plunged Ragnell into the soft tissue behind Ephidel's wing and looked up to see Eliwood running toward them, holding Durandal in a reverse grip as he made for the dragon.

A look passed between them and Ike held out a hand as the man jumped into the air, their hands grasping the other's wrist. Ike swung Eliwood up and over, giving him a downward angle at the base of Ephidel's skull. As Eliwood came down, though, Ephidel turned and fell to the earth catching the blade along the shoulder. The blade sped up on contact, opening a gaping wound in Ephidel's shoulder, but it wasn't enough. The group was caught up in a tumbling mass, trying not to be crushed or thrown as Ephidel's massive form shook the earth.

"He's too close!" Soren shouted, not looking up from the page, "Hold him!"

"We're trying," Hector grunted, staggering as he got to his feet. "He's a blasted mountain we can't just-"

Hector was drowned out by the sound of Soren beginning another spell, the air around them warping. As the void appeared everyone bolted, clearing the area around Ephidel as the runes encircled him and the darkness enveloped his body. Seizures of rage and pain wracked his body, his shrieks echoing across the hilltop, but it was not enough. He moved slowly, advancing on unsteady legs, but he wasn't to be stopped. As he came within twenty feet of the dais the runes around its base began to glow.

Eliwood stood next to Soren, the others forming up around him. Behind them the Scouring circle opened, a shimmering circle of blue light hovering in the air.

"I think I know what he wants," Soren said, struggling to maintain the spell.

"What?"Eliwood asked, his eyes focused on Ephidel.

"To escape. Bide his time. Now that he can open the gate, he can afford to wait until we're all long dead. Everyone forgets eventually."

The notion filled Eliwood with dread. Just three years ago dragons had been an abstract idea, nothing more than myths of the past. Everyone believed they'd existed, but everyone also wondered. Had they really? If they lost him here Ephidel would eventually fade into the pages of a dusty tome somewhere on a bookshelf. Who would keep watch then, for a dragon of the past to return through an ancient portal?

"And if he brings dragons back with him…"

Soren nodded, "Exactly. It's his only option if he isn't going to summon them now."

"He's not getting through then," Hector said.

"But what if he does?" Zephiel asked.

"We follow," Eliwood answered.

"_We_ follow," Soren said, then pointing to Hector and the others, "they stay. Hector needs to lead the retreat if it gets to that point."

Hector's jaw clenched but he said nothing, Soren was right.

"Get ready," he continued, "the spell's about to end."

Around them the droning was beginning to fade, the void shrinking. As Ephidel's body became visible beyond the silhouette they could see where entire sections of scale had been stripped off. Beneath skin and raw muscle were exposed, but it didn't seem to impede him. If anything, he was moving faster.

"Move!" Hector shouted, jumping out of the way as a jet of flame engulfed the dais.

They scattered momentarily, instantly regrouping to separate Ephidel from the portal as he climbed onto dais. Eliwood was a blur of blue and red, charging underneath and slashing at the exposed muscle along Ephidel's underbelly while darting between his legs. With each cut the dragon faltered, his legs shaking as he tried to deal with the flashing blades at his feet while meeting Nasir's ice with his own fire.

"It's not working!" Zephiel shouted, dark red patches blossoming on his leg where Ephidel's tail had caught him.

"Then make it work! There's nothing left to talk about!" Hector answered, rolling away as Ephidel sprayed the ground with fire.

As he rose he felt a foot on his shoulder and looked up to see Karel launch himself into the air, a sword in either hand. Ephidel's arm flashed, swatting the sword master from the air, but as he did Karel drove his wo dao into the scaled palm, anchoring himself to the hand. Ephidel roared and Karel leapt towards his face, silver sword flashing for moment before burying itself in Ephidel's eye.

Ephidel's scream rocked the ground beneath them, his head whipping back and forth as he snapped his jaws, catching Karel in the shoulder with the bony ridge above his eye. Something crunched as the sword master hit the ground and rolled.

"Angle was too shallow," he said, right arm slack, useless at his side.

"But now he has a blind spot," Soren replied, "look Nasir's-"

Soren stopped talking as Nasir crashed into Ephidel's blind side, pushing him back toward the cliff, only to have the black dragon turn and slam Nasir into the ground, a foot pinning his neck down. With a scream pulsating waves of flame washed over Nasir's head and neck, and the white dragon's body arched painfully.

"Ike!" Soren shouted, pointing towards the two as Lethe and Skrimir jumped onto Ephidel's back, "Get Nasir, he's unconscious!"

Ike looked at Soren then back at the dragons in horror as Nasir began to shift. He grabbed Hector and the two dashed around Ephidel's feet as he turned away from Nasir, his attention caught up with the laguz on his back.

"Get his legs," Ike grunted, ducking as Ephidel's tail swept over the area. Dragons were heavy in any form.

Hurrying away they took Nasir partway down the hill before leaving him by the side of the path, his upper body black and glistening.

"He's in rough shape," Hector said.

"He'll pull through, dragons don't die that easily," Ike answered.

"Don't have to tell me. Things are falling apart Ike."

Ike didn't say anything as they rushed back into the fight, but he knew it was true. They weren't going to make it. All around them blood darkened the earth, most of it Ephidel's, but not enough. With Nasir gone Ephidel was knocking the others back before they could get close, and Eliwood could only do so much. Karel's shoulder was broken, Lethe and Skrimir wouldn't be lasting much longer before shifting, and Zephiel was limping. Mia could hardly stand. Lyn and Guy were unhurt, although exhaustion was setting in and it wouldn't be long before they were injured too.

"We won't see him through that gate," Ike said. "One way, or another."

Hector laughed, his smile grim, but said nothing. He knew which one it would be.

* * *

_This chapter was...difficult. Mostly because I knew it was going to be long, but not THIS long. Anyway, I'm pleased to be continuing, whether or not anyone still reads it.  
_

_Twilight Rurouni  
_


	24. Chapter 24

_You have Sentury to thank for this. He, or she, sent me a review with a friendly reminder to get my rear in gear. Well it's done, the story I mean. I'll be posting one chapter a day for the next three days until it's all up. Thanks for reading, _

_Twilight Rurouni  
_

* * *

Hector watched Ike run towards Ephidel, tossing his sword into the air in an attempt to steal away the dragon's energy, only to miss and nearly get torn in two. He looked away as Eliwood jumped in to protect Ike, those two would be fine. Back down to the filth, the half-closed eyes, the fading breath. He was unnaturally calm.

"Lyn," he said, "look at me Lyn."

His hands pressed down desperately against her side, his axe forgotten on the ground.

"I'm looking," she said, her own hand resting on his, "leave me Hector, I'll be okay. It's not that deep."

But it was. It deep, and it was long, and Hector had no idea what do to. He couldn't fight this back. Lyn was bleeding out between his fingers, and there was no Serra to fix it.

OoOoO

Ike hit the ground hard, his arm twisting painfully as he rolled away from Ephidel's flashing claws. He was vaguely aware of Eliwood jumping in front of him while he got to his feet, but through the haze it was difficult to tell anything for sure. With every breath his ears popped, his hearing was muffled and distant, and all around him people seemed to float.

On his right was Mia, doubled over in her efforts to stay standing, and next to her was Guy, his arm around her shoulders. Ike doubted she even knew Guy was there. To his left was Hector, bent low over Lyn. He had begun tearing his armor off, ripping his shirt to pieces, trying to bandage her wound, but Ike had seen the blow. Lyn had caught the full weight of Ephidel's tail, its hooked tip catching and carrying her through the air. She wasn't going to make it.

In front of him was Eliwood, Durandal in hand fighting back the beast. Next to him were Zephiel and Karel, twins in battle as they fought left handed, right arms dangling at their sides. He watched Eliwood dive out of the way, flames licking at his boots, and Ike knew it wouldn't be much longer. As slowly and surely as he moved back into the fight, they were dying.

OoOoO

Eliwood rolled as he landed, feeling the fire at his back, and he found himself wondering about the nature of dragon fire. It was absurd when and where the mind wandered, but it wandered nonetheless. As the battle had gone on he couldn't help but notice Ephidel's flames projected less and less until they had become little more than liquid fire seeping from his jaws. This made it much easier to dodge, but also presented them with another problem. It stuck. More than once he had dodged only to find his cape aflame from rolling through pools of fire. He prayed it meant Ephidel was as tired as they were.

Even Soren was beginning to falter, his spells growing shorter with every incantation. Looking at the mage, turning pages at a frenzied pace, Eliwood knew he didn't have much more in him.

OoOoO

Soren quickly flipped the page before realizing he had skipped one and turned back, reciting the words in no more than a whisper, chest heaving. All around him they were falling and now even Ike had trouble moving. Skrimir and Lethe had long since shifted, retreating back down the hill to look after Nasir, and Hector was too busy with Lyn to take notice of anything else. He couldn't blame him, really. She had been flung halfway across the hilltop.

Looking down at the tome in his hands Soren realized he was at the end and discarded it, reaching for Fimbulvetr. He had long since stopped using Apocalypse, and didn't dare use Ereshkigal. The elder magic exacted a terrifying toll on his mind; a tribute to ensure he never forgot it was respect, not control, which shaman needed. He nearly blacked out the last time he'd cast Apocalypse. The Fimbulvetr was his last though, and in the end he knew he would return to Bramimond's gift.

He only hoped he would have the strength to use it.

OoOoO

_Railing against the goddess. That's all they were doing amounted to. Nasir was sure of it, and watching the battle he knew there could only be one conclusion. Ike would die, his friends alongside him, and in the end the world would be swept away, cleansed. He had lived long enough to know idealism was the armor of youth, protecting it from the pain of reality. It was too bad Ike would die for it. _

_They all would. Deghinsea was the dragon king for a reason; he was slow to anger, slow to judge, but when it came time to act he followed through in the blink of an eye. He was uncompromising. The worst part was, Nasir could see Kurthnaga and Ena across the room. They had been given orders not to hurt them, but when it came down to it he knew it would end in their deaths. Kurthnaga wasn't the strongest, but he was just as steadfast in his ideals as his father. There would be no king to succeed Deghinsea._

"Yet Ike prevailed. Against the goddess, and Deghinsea, almost a god himself…"

Skrimir looked up at Lethe as the whisper came from Nasir. The dragon's skin was black, glistening and blistered, but Skrimir had heard the words.

"At least he's saying _something,_" Lethe muttered. She wanted to touch Nasir, to comfort him, but she didn't know how. Everywhere she looked something was bleeding, broken.

Nasir shifted, his eyes cracking open, staring vacantly at the open sky as he continued, "What is it about the cause of the weak which finds favor in the hands of fate? What was it, and will it shine through again?"

"I do not know," Skrimir said, taking a hold of Nasir's left foot, the only thing which didn't seem to be injured. It was hard to hold a foot reassuringly, but he tried.

Nasir's eyes closed again, slowly folding shut on the world, and Lethe leaned forward, ignoring the tears that sprung to her own.

"It has Nasir," she whispered. "It already has."

OoOoO

Ephidel swatted at the bodies beneath him, ignoring the bite of steel and frost as he continued toward the Scouring circle. He would be free of this existence, free of all those who could stop him, or even cared to stop him. He would be free to bide his time, to wait until the day none remembered his name. And then he would be truly free to exact revenge; his, and theirs. Limstella, Denning...even Sonia would be accounted for in the reckoning to come. And come it would.

OoOoO

Eliwood hit the earth and didn't get up, his breath coming in as a shallow gasp. He couldn't move, and he was so tired. Looking around he watched Ike, Zephiel, and Karel step in to fend off the dragon, but they were nothing without Durandal. Ephidel swept them aside like leaves before a gale, their bodies tangling together as they fell.

"No," he coughed, his hand gripping Durandal's hilt more tightly as he pushed himself to his feet. "Not yet."

He leveled the sword at the creature, he and Soren the only ones holding the dais, and prepared himself to die. It was unfair really, he mused, for a man to accept death twice. He had already known it had would come for him, and resigned himself to it, but not this. Now he found himself left with no other choice.

Ephidel lunged, his neck uncoiling like a viper, his spiny jaws seeking Eliwood out. He parried, Durandal thrumming as it came into that brief contacted, and then Eliwood countered, the blade whipping around faster than he could have propelled it on its own. In truth he couldn't have propelled it on his own at all, and that was what did it. Ephidel's foot caught the blade, wrenching it from Eliwood's hands and pinning it to the ground. Eliwood stumbled, rolled so only his leg caught the wild swing of Ephidel's head, and found himself flat on his back. Unable to breath he gasped silently, willing the air to come back to him while the sky spun circles above him. Eliwood craned his neck around, his hair pressed into the dirt so he could stare at the world upside down. Now it was up to Soren, and the man was not up to the task.

Soren dropped Fimbulvetr as soon as Eliwood fell, Apocalypse in his hands immediately after, but he wasn't fast enough. Ephidel bathed the dais in flames mid-incantation and Soren dove, barely escaping the liquid fire which seeped from half-closed jaws. As Soren hit the dirt Ephidel's arm flashed, batting the mage completely off the dais, and he stepped onto the stone platform. It was finished.

Taking no time to gloat, no time to even wonder if it could be true, Ephidel lunged forward into the shining gateway. It would carry him away, carry him to a new place where he could heal and wait, carry him to life. Yet it carried him nowhere. Ephidel's body collided with the ethereal light, as solid as the stone beneath his feet. He recoiled and lunged again. It should work, it _would_ work. Morphs could use magic, this was nothing but another form of that. The quintessence was all that mattered, and he had it. Again he recoiled. He snarled, turning onto the foes he knew were coming with jaws unhinged, and stopped as Eliwood's blade took him through those jaws.

Durandal quivered as it sunk into Ephidel's flesh, reclaiming what the morph had stolen, and Eliwood held on tight. He watched, eyes wide, not knowing and not questioning what had just happened. Ephidel didn't make a sound. He simply stared, eyes locking with Eliwood's a mere blade length away. At first it was hate that burning within those burnished golden eyes, but it quickly changed, overtaken by pain, loss. Fear. Ephidel shuddered, his eyes shut tight, and then he was still. They did not open again.

Eliwood began to withdraw Durandal, and then stopped. Letting go of the hilt he took a step back and left it there, lodged in the dragon's skull.

"I don't understand," he said, eyes far away, eyebrows knitting tight in confusion.

"I'm afraid I do."

Soren limped up, his breeches a bloody mess down the left leg. Taking in the scene but for a moment he looked up at the gateway.

"As terrifying as it is," he continued, "it's a simple matter. If Ephidel could not go through the gate one way, it must mean something else already has from the other."

"Dragons…" Eliwood said, his gaze now on the gate as well. Had they defeated Ephidel only to now face the impossible? Inside he was screaming, raving at the gods that were, but on the outside he was calm. He could understand how Soren felt. It _was_ terrifying, and there was nothing they could do if it was true.

"You're not serious," Ike said, stumping his way up to the group, using Ragnell as a prop. Behind him Karel carried Zephiel, unconscious over his right shoulder.

"If I'm ever anything else," Soren answered, "now is not that time. It only makes sense."

"And Nasir isn't conscious to close it," Ike said, eyes locked on the gateway. "So what now?"

All eyes turned to Eliwood, who remained staring at the gate for another moment before speaking.

"The army will have retreated by now. Rath had strict orders, and he knows the difference between necessary risk and foolishness. Hopefully Oswin and the others got out too," he said. "If that's so, then now it's just us. We will wait to see what happens; anything else…"

Ike spoke, finishing the thought, "And the job wouldn't be finished. We stay."

"Thank you," Eliwood replied. "Hopefully it won't be for long. Let's see to the…the wounded."

Everyone's head swiveled to look at Hector, still bent over Lyn. She should be dead by now. Slowly Eliwood approached his friend and laid a hand on his shoulder. Lyn was blocked from view by Hector's broad back.

"Hector…" he began.

"She's alive," Hector said. "She's alive Eliwood. Just…barely."

Taking another step Eliwood peered around his friend and saw it was true. Lyn's eyes were closed, her breathing shallow and ragged, but she was alive.

"For now."

Eliwood looked down at the words from Hector and saw tears sliding down his cheeks. Hector never cried. But every man had his limits.

"What do I do?" he asked, looking up at his friend, "Tell me Eliwood, because I can't think straight."

"I don't know Hector," he said, kneeling next to his friend. "We can't move her though."

"Bring Nasir over here," Soren said, coming up on the two, "even if he's unconscious, dragons have auras. They cannot heal, but it may ward off death for a time."

"He can hardly ward off his own, I do not think that will work."

They turned to find Lethe behind them, arms crossed, tail twitching. She eyed the group then looked over her shoulder significantly. Skrimir was a ways down the hill, still next to Nasir. The dragon wasn't moving.

"Fair enough," Soren replied, "but Lyn is not going to last long. We need a healer, and while I have a little experience with staves, there are none of those either."

"Limstella's sleep staff," Eliwood said. "Where is it? It's all we have at the moment."

"Still back in the clearing," Ike said. They had completely forgotten about it after Soren found Ereshkigal.

"Guy!" Eliwood shouted.

The Sacaen hobbled up, his arm still around Mia's shoulders, and looked up at the taller man. To be honest neither of them looked up to running anywhere, but if Soren was right they wouldn't be very helpful with what was to come. Not that any of them would be, truly.

"Go back to the courtyard where we fought Limstella, I need you to get her sleep staff," he said, "It may save Lyn's life."

In a heartbeat Guy handed Mia off to Ike and was dashing down the hill, almost tripping as he reached the bottom.

"And now?" Ike asked.

Eliwood sighed, and turned back to the gateway, "Now we…"

He trailed off, watching as the gateway shimmered out of existence. No dragons. And no explanation. They all stood motionless for a moment, blinking in confusion.

"This is not the first time I've been wrong," Soren said, "but this is the first time I've been glad for it. Let's go."

"Wait," Hector said, rising to his feet, "wait for Guy. I can't move Lyn like this."

Soren nodded his acquiescence and they sat down on the hill. All around them was blackened grass, charred earth, and the harsh scent of lightning, but it was silent. It was as if peace had decided to force itself on them, in the wake of destruction. The wind shifted to the south and the trees at the foot of the hill rustled. No one said anything, but everyone heaved a sigh. It was over.

Minutes passed by, it was hard to say how many, and suddenly Guy was emerging from the foliage, staff in hand. He ran up the hill, unsteady on his legs and breathing heavy as he handed the staff to Soren.

"I cannot promise anything," Soren said, kneeling over Lyn, "only that I will try."

He closed his eyes, holding the gnarled staff over Lyn's forehead as he whispered to himself. The staff began to glow, a gentle aura, and Lyn inhaled deeply. Her eyes stopped their incessant shifting under her eyelids as she slipped into deeper, more peaceful sleep.

"Thank you, Soren," Hector said. He reached down and picked up his wife, holding her as gently as he knew how. She looked tiny, wrapped up in his burly arms. "We can go now."

The others fell in as they departed from the hill, its destroyed peak a monument perhaps no one would ever see. Looking back as they left Eliwood wondered what had happened, but at the same time if not knowing was the price for such a miracle he was glad to pay it, and relief washed over him. They had done the impossible. What was left before them was merely difficult.

OoOoO

"Absolutely crawling, no way," Mia said, her breathing heavy as she spoke to Ike in hushed tones.

The twelve of them were hidden in the undergrowth at the back of the castle town, split up into smaller groups to prevent discovery.

"Are you certain?" Soren asked, "We cannot simply leave the crown prince out in the woods. Not if we want him to live, which Eliwood has indicated he does."

"I'm sure. I may be loud, but that doesn't mean I can't be quiet when I have to, and I got close enough to _smell_ those guards. We're not getting anywhere near that castle."

Soren sighed and massaged his temple, "We shouldn't even be here, it's only a matter of time before we're caught. Where are Volke and Jaffar?"

"No sign of them, but I'm sure they got through without a scrape," Ike answered. "If they haven't found us by now they must have left."

The mage frowned, or rather frowned more deeply, and shook his head. He thought they should just leave the prince where someone would find him and wash their hands of it. Ike rose slightly from his crouched position as the mage thought and caught Hector's eye a few paces away.

Hector dropped back into hiding when Ike shook his head.

"Blast," he growled, glancing at Lyn then Eliwood, "no good. Too many guards."

Eliwood's brow furrowed and he brought a hand up to his chin in thought. They had to get Zephiel back to where he belonged, this all depended on the prince's goodwill once it was all over. He was fairly certain the boy wouldn't reveal the truth, but he didn't want to risk anything. Not now.

"Have you seen Jaffar around? Or Volke?" he asked.

Hector shook his head, "No. We must have lost them, not surprising in that madness."

Eliwood had figured as much, but either of them could probably get Zephiel into the castle unseen, and even if they were it wouldn't compromise Lycia. If only Zephiel weren't unconscious; the whole thing would be so much easier if he could announce himself.

"Alright," Eliwood, said, "here's the plan. It's farfetched, but all I can think of for the time being. Soren can cast sleep on the guards, and Ike can take Zephiel in. If we're lucky the confusion will have covered exactly what happened and he may be able to return Zephiel without too much suspicion."

"Unlikely, but I'll let him know," Hector said, standing up once again. He caught Ike's eye and a minute later Mia was at their side.

"Okay look, here's the deal," he said, "Ike's going to have to take Zephiel in. We've got nothing else and daylight burning."

Mia shook her head reluctantly, but agreed, "I'll tell him, but I don't like it. He's too well know, some of us were in the army too, and not easy to recognize I bet."

"No," Eliwood said, "Ike may need his status. They'll be suspicious of anyone who isn't from Bern, including mercenaries. Ike must go."

Mia nodded and was off, back through the undergrowth. For a while nothing happened, and then she was back.

"Well?" Hector asked. He was impatient to be gone.

"Something's happened. A soldier's appeared, full armor, at the back gate. Everyone else is gone. I think he's waiting for someone," she said. "We're going to talk to him."

Eliwood's brown knit together with worry, but he saw the advantages. "Be careful."

Mia's smile was tired, "Always."

Making her way back to Ike she gave him the go signal and he was off through the undergrowth to where Karel and Guy watched over Zephiel. When he got there Karel was gone.

"Where'd he go?" asked Ike, afraid he already knew the answer.

"Left," Guy answered, "didn't even say a word. I think he thought his job was done."

"Fine by me," Ike said, heaving Zephiel onto his shoulder. "You stay here."

Guy sighed and sat back against a tree trunk, watching the taller man go. He didn't object to staying, but he hoped Ike would be okay.

As he came to edge of the forest Ike slowed, doing his best to take cover under the thinning foliage. As he came to the last possible cover he paused, peering out from behind the leaves. A single man stood at the back entrance to the wall around the castle town, which Ike would have had to navigate before even getting close to the castle. At first they had discussed using the catacombs Ephidel led them through, but with three injured going into the heart of the castle seemed a poor choice. Stepping out into the open Ike approached the man, who regarded him with a cool gaze, lance at the ready.

"Ike," came a voice from within the helm, "I never expected to see you again, although considering your burden I am glad."

"Murdock," Ike said, shifting Zephiel so he held him in both arms. "I hoped it was you."

The prince's ward removed his helm, short cut blonde hair slick with sweat. His face, impassive as always, betrayed just a hint of relief as Ike drew near.

"I am pleased you did," he said, accepting the prince from Ike, "although to be honest I expected him to come home alone, as he usually does, if at all. When he wasn't found in the castle I assumed the worst."

"It was," Ike said, "or very nearly. Keep him safe Murdock, and have him healed, he's been unconscious for a long time now. Stay sharp."

The man nodded, "Likewise. Also…a forewarning, Ike, for your service. I cannot say anything for certain, but Bern will need someone to pin this on. Zephiel will pick you."

"I figured. Thank you just the same."

Murdock didn't answer, or even look back as he entered the small back gate. He had what he came for and so did Ike. Now for the return trip home, the final hurdle; Ike hoped they had it in them.

"How'd it go boss?" Mia asked, sitting up as he came back through the undergrowth.

"It was Murdock," he answered.

"I thought so," Mia replied. "Everything go okay?"

"Yeah. Although he confirmed what Soren said; Bern's going to pin this on us, so we need to be crossing borders yesterday. Let's go."

"I'll tell Eliwood."

The woman vanished and Ike turned to Soren. The smaller man sat quietly, his back to a large tree behind him. He flipped idly though Apocalypse, lips pursed thoughtfully as he examined the text. Ike smiled, considering how often the man had saved his life. All of theirs, really. He was a hero, no matter how much he spurned the title.

"What?" Soren asked, looking up from the tome.

"Nothing. I'm surprised you can look through that so casually though, considering what it is."

"It's just a book," Soren said, looking back down at the page. "Just words. We give them power."

Before he could reply Mia appeared again. "We're good boss. Lead on, they'll be right behind us. Guy is with Hector and Eliwood now. Skrimir and Lethe will be the rearguard, see no one gets separated."

"Make sure they don't," Ike said, rousing himself. "Greil Mercenaries, move out."


	25. Chapter 25

_To those of you reading this, you've come very far, and waiting even longer. Thank you._

* * *

Eliwood didn't dare believe his eyes, but he wanted to very badly. Glimpses of stonework were visible in the distance and it was either a noble's palace or the border, and no one dared to speak that possibility aloud. They had been on the road for a week, traveling in split groups to avoid suspicion. Lethe and Skrimir kept to the woods with Nasir. They had originally been determined to spend the entire trip under the cover of forest, but the need to heal the laguz and Lyn had driven them from hiding on the second day. Even so, it wasn't much better. Lyn was on the edge of consciousness most of the time and had to be carried; Nasir could hardly walk by himself, and rode Skrimir most of the time. Eliwood wasn't sure, but he got the feeling it was a great affront to one of the two laguz's dignity. Perhaps both. Now though, if he wasn't wrong, it might be coming to an end. The border was tight, but not impossible.

"Hold it," Hector said, coming to a stop.

"What?" Eliwood asked, looking for Mia's white headband in the nearby trees. She had taken to leaving it out whenever Ike's group had gotten off the road and wanted to talk.

"There," Hector said, nodded to the gentle hill which blocked most of the border from view. A dust cloud was visible, raised by someone coming up the other side, and a moment later Ike came over the top. If he wasn't running already, then the way he looked over his shoulder after cresting the hill said they would be soon.

"What's going on?" Eliwood asked as the two groups came together.

"Border patrol, I recognize some of them, and I know they'll recognize me. In fact, they might have already; they probably took a closer look when we got within twenty paces then turned right back around.

Hector cursed, and Eliwood suppressed the urge to. They were so close.

"Don't suppose you're in favor of just crashing it," Hector said.

"No," Ike answered, "not a good idea. Especially now that we don't have surprise with us. We'll have to go around, cross in the forests."

Hector frowned, and Eliwood understood his friend's displeasure. It would take a long time to cross in the forests and time was something they lacked. Unfortunately Ike was right, so there was little else to do but get on with it.

"We don't seem to have much of a choice in that case," Eliwood said, "so the sooner the better. Go on ahead, we'll follow in a bit."

Without a word Ike headed off into the woods, Mia darting ahead to take lead, and Hector set Lyn down by a small ash tree. She was asleep, like she had been for most of the trip, and part of Eliwood was afraid her eyes might not open one these mornings. They needed to get home quickly if they were going to save her.

"Ready?" he asked.

Hector twisted, his back cracking loudly, and then bent to pick Lyn back up, "Yeah."

The four of them pressed into the woods, Guy in the lead to scout and Eliwood in back. Occasionally they found a broken branch or peeled bark purposefully left to point the way, but other than that they saw no signs of anyone else.

"Eliwood," Hector said, his voice drifting back from over his shoulder, "what happened?"

Eliwood knew what he meant, and it was the first any of them had spoken of it. It was nothing they wanted to talk about, that day on the hill when they should have died. Some of them still might.

Eliwood glanced down at Durandal, wrapped in pieces of Hector's torn, bloodstained shirt. "I don't know, Hector," he answered. "To be honest, I don't think I'll ever care to."

"We might have to," Hector replied, "if there's a way to stop a gate from being used once opened…we might need that knowledge, Eliwood."

Eliwood was taken aback, Hector rarely showed such forethought, but he was right. Before he could say so, though, the foliage ahead of them rustled and Ike burst through. Soren and Mia were on his heels and Soren looked to be limping, blood staining his light breeches.

"Run!"

It was the only word Eliwood caught before Ike cut away, back into the woods. And Eliwood ran, surging forward to keep them in sight, Hector followed doggedly behind him.

Ike turned, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the others were following before turning back around and putting on more speed. The laguz could take care of themselves and he needed to put as much distance between them and the soldiers as possible before hiding Soren. He resisted the urge to look back again, to get a better look at the mage's crossbow wound. There was no way he could run very far with it. Stopping suddenly he gestured for Mia to go on and pulled Soren into a ditch covered with roots and dead leaves, hurriedly throwing them over the man before he could object.

"Stay here," he breathed, getting to his feet. He stopped as Soren's hand snagged his wrist.

"Ike, I'm not staying here and letting you get killed, otherwise I wouldn't have pushed you out of the way in the first place," he said. "They circled around, they were expecting us. They know who you are."

Ike turned, his eyes locked on his friend's, "I'm not going to die, Soren. I'll be back, I promise, just like I promised Mist I would see her again."

"They're just words Ike."

"And we give them power, right?" Ike said, pulling away. "I'll be back."

Soren didn't object, and in an instant Ike was gone. A second later Eliwood, Hector, and Guy ran by, not even noticing him. He could only hope the soldiers wouldn't either. Despite himself he held his breath as footfalls became audible and he stared at the leaves covering him as a retinue of soldiers ran by. He hadn't been concerned they would find him really, it was how Ike would fair alone that worried him.

"There's poison in there."

He whipped around at the voice behind him, hand sliding into a sleeve for his tomes, and he stopped just as quickly when he saw the owner. A young boy with odd, teal colored hair and red eyes. He wore short breeches, well above the knee, and carried a flute in one hand with a short belt knife at his hip. He smiled down at Soren and squatted next to him. The boy looked familiar, or at least seemed so.

"Who are you?" Soren asked, pulling back slightly as the boy leaned closer.

"Me?" the boy asked, "No one important. I've been watching you though, all of you. You look like you need some help."

"And why would you do that?" Soren asked.

"Family ties," the boy answered, his smile growing wider.

Soren's frown deepened, his brows coming together as he replied, "Elaborate. Who are you, where are you from?"

"I'm from…" the boy paused, as if to think, "Ilia, although it's been a long time since I was home. I've been on a journey, a long one. I've only just arrived in Bern seven days ago."

"Why are you here, talking to me right now?"

"Like I said, you look like you need help. There's poison in there, however little," he said, gesturing toward the wound with his flute.

"So you said…all because of 'family ties'."

"Yes."

Soren sat up. "Leave. There may be more soldiers at any time, and if you think I will be as charitable as you seem to be, you are wrong."

The boy's smile took on an amused cast and he shook his head. "No more soldiers, we're safe for now. You may want to consider my offer," he said, getting to his feet, "I'm a bard, and bards are useful to have around."

"I've heard…"Soren replied.

"Not the first time I've said that, people have to be reminded," the boy said. A moment of silence passed before he brought the flute to his lips, breathed lightly, and a high, lilting tune suddenly surrounded Soren. A minute later he was on his feet. His leg still hurt, but he felt as if he could walk the earth.

"Like a galdr," he muttered, looking down at the boy now that he was standing.

"Is it?" the boy asked, "I would love to know what that is."

Soren paused for a moment before speaking, "I know you. Or know people who know you; they said you left. There are many things going on here now, more than you can know."

The boy's face saddened, "So it would seem. It's why I returned, if only for a time. You can't tell anyone."

"And why not?"

"Because you can't. I'm not staying, I'm not here to see anyone. I'm here to help you, more than I already have anyway," he answered.

"You barred the way," Soren said, realization flooding his features, "it was you at the gate."

The boy shrugged a shoulder, his flute back at his lips again.

After a moment Soren spoke again, "Not even Ninian?"

The boy stopped playing, and gave Soren a look over his flute. "_Especially_ Ninian."

Soren relented. He had never been so off guard. "Fair enough. How are you helping us?"

"I'm leading you home," he smiled over his flute, "all of you. Make sure you're there…I have to seal it after."

"Explain."

"You're half dragon Soren. I don't have to explain, just follow me. Even if you can't hear the music, you should be able to feel the way. Anyway, Ike's coming back. Remember, you can't tell," he said, melting back into the foliage.

"Nasir will know what's going on," Soren said, feeling slightly foolish speaking to limbs and branches.

"No he won't."

Soren contemplated calling out again, but rejected the idea as rustling became audible in the undergrowth. Ike emerged, sword in hand, and his face lit up when he found Soren on his feet.

"How serious?" he asked, gesturing to his knee.

"I've had worse," Soren said, "I can walk."

"Good. We lost most of them, had to fight one or two. We should be safe though, able to cross the border soon. Come on."

The two set off at a slow meander through the trees, Ike clearing the way for his friend. The truth was they had fought more than a few, but everyone had gotten out of it with nothing more than scrapes and bruises, which really amounted to nothing at all.

"You can go faster Ike," Soren said, "we may not have much time."

"Why?" Ike asked, glancing over his shoulder.

Soren considered his leg, the poison inside, and decided some things were better left unsaid.

"The soldiers who escaped will be back with reinforcements soon, if they're not on the way already," he said.

Ike's face relaxed, as if he had been expecting something worse. "There won't be any reinforcements. We can take our time," he replied.

Soren didn't answer. He knew what that meant, but if Ike had decided that it wasn't worth telling then he would decide it wasn't worth uncovering. A few moments later they walked into a small clearing of trampled plants. Mia was squatting on her heels, shaking her head over a long gash on Hector's arm, but otherwise everyone look entirely intact.

"Leave it alone," Hector growled, "it's shallow enough, just wrap it like I said."

Mia sighed and followed the order. Hector pulled the arm away before she was finished, tucking in the end of the makeshift bandage himself, and picking Lyn up from her place against a moss covered stone.

"Let's move it," he said, "we can still make it across the border before nightfall."

No one said anything, and no one moved to split back up into groups as they went. It wouldn't really matter if anyone found them now; there was nothing ambiguous about stumbling through the forest toward the border. An hour later Eliwood stopped and pressed a hand to his ear absentmindedly as he looked to the south.

"We have to be across the border by this point, we should start making for the road," he said, continuing to fidget with his ear.

"Something wrong?" Hector asked, nodding toward his friend.

"What?" he asked, then took his hand away, "Oh, no."

Soren blinked then, as he suddenly became aware of a quiet melody floating on the breeze. It was high, too high, almost like it wasn't even there. But he heard it.

"We should go this way," he said, pointing back into the woods. Towards the music.

"Why?" Hector asked. "I like the sound of the road. I like the sound of not tripping every other step."

"There's a village this way," Soren said, "I saw it on a map in Bern's war room once, when I was still a general. It should be close. It was on land close to Bern, but still within Lycia. If we're across the border it should be near."

He began to move and before Hector could protest Ike was following, then Eliwood and the rest. Hector growled under his breath, but fell in behind the others. Soren hadn't led them astray yet.

"But now would be a hell of a time to start," he muttered, his gaze going down to Lyn's sleeping face.

"You say something?" Guy asked, looking up at the taller man.

"Nothing. Keep on."

OoOoO

An hour later the seven were at the outskirts of a village. Relief decorated everyone's features; Soren's most of all, but for different reasons. He had begun to doubt himself just minutes ago, and it had been made worse by Hector's silence the entire trek.

"Looks safe to me boss," Mia said. Hand on her hips she stood out in the open, not even trying to hide. Not that there was much to hide from, probably.

"I second that," Guy said, "let's go. Maybe they have an inn."

Before they could move though, three figures appeared at the village's tiny gates, which were more of a fence. Two were swathed in cloaks, but the third, dressed in a dark orange, was a dead giveaway.

"Mist," Ike smiled, moving toward the gates. The others surged forward, the familiar face a welcome sight.

As they drew close the other two became clear as Volke and Jaffar, flanking Mist like an honor guard. Ike thrust Ragnell into the earth as the two groups met, picking Mist up in a hug. She didn't hug back.

"What's wrong?" he asked, setting her down.

Her face was a mask, and she had eyes for Hector alone. They were close to shedding tears. She drew breath, on the very edge of speech, and then exhaled slowly, the words coming out in a whisper.

"Matthew's dead."

It hit like hammer blow, her words, complete with a ringing in their ears. The evening seemed to slow, time to warp, and then Hector was on his knees. Lyn rested in the crook of one arm, his other hand holding his head.

"What happened?" he asked, staring at the dirt beneath Mist's boots.

"He just went. What he'd been through, it was too much, Hector…we could see it coming," she said, voice low and quiet. She felt the loss of everyone, but especially those she cared for. It was the curse of every healer, Ike knew.

"Did he say anything?"

Mist really did cry now, but she kept it from her voice. "Yes. He was coherent at the…the end. He said…he looked at me, and told me to tell you the job was done, and he was going to see her."

Hector was silent. Matthew had always kept Leila's death inside, and it had taken his own for it to finally come out.

"When?" he asked.

"This morning, before sunrise."

"Then we can bury him at home," he said, getting to his feet, "Let's go, today has seen enough of death."

The group turned together and headed back into the village, to a small thatch-roofed house near the gates. Inside they found Oswin, sitting silently next to the bed on which Matthew lay. The spy's hands were clasped one hand around the other, a pendant bearing the crest of House Ostia balanced atop.

Hector stopped, looking down on the man, and gently handed Lyn to Oswin.

"You've done it proper, Oswin," he said, "but you've done it wrong."

Bending he opened Matthew's hands, placing the crest within them, and then pressed a dagger hilt into his palm over the small emblem. He closed them again and threaded the crest's gold chain through Matthew's fingers, finally placing it around his neck.

"I had hoped so, Lord Hector," Oswin said. "He died a noble."

Hector nodded, "Goodness know he lorded over me often enough."

The two stood in silent reflection, considering the man they had known and trusted. They looked at each other, and both turned away. There weren't words enough to be say what they felt about him, but in time it would come.

"Mist," Hector said, "I know you've had a hard day, but Lyn needs seeing to…I'm afraid something is wrong."

The young woman nodded, eyes sad but understanding. From its place in a corner she retrieved her staff and bent to kneel over Lyn on the floor. No one even suggested moving Matthew from where he lay.

"It's bad, but not deadly, at least not now," Mist said, running her staff over Lyn's body. "Although…"

"What?" Hector asked, quickly. His eyes went from Mist to Lyn and back again.

"Nothing, I thought I felt something," she said, a shallow smile on her face. It didn't reach her eyes. The crystal at the end of her staff pulsed and a soft blue light poured out, washing out the room. A moment later she sat back on her heels and sighed, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"She'll be fine, now," she said softly. Her eyes remained on the place where Lyn had been even after Hector lifted her, and Ike knew she was seeing Matthew. From experience he also knew there was nothing he could do, so he didn't.

"Nasir will be here soon," he said, softly touching her shoulder, "he needs healing too. He's not as bad as Lyn."

"Okay."

Ike considered her for another moment, letting his fingers linger on her shoulder, then turned away. For the first time he looked at the old woman who had been standing in the corner since their arrival. She hadn't said a word. Before he could Eliwood stepped forward.

"Good woman," he said, "I apologize for the intrusion, and thank you for sheltering our friends. We won't be staying long, you have our gratitude."

The woman's dark eyes regarded him solemnly and she moved away without a word, leaving them alone in the room. The others filed out, looking for a place to let Lyn rest. As Soren was about to leave he stopped, Mist's voice in his ears.

"Wait."

He turned, looking down at a small girl he had known since his own youth, and then she was the young woman of today once more.

"He talked to you, didn't he?" she asked. She looked up at him, her eyes seeking, imploring.

Soren considered lying, and rejected the ugly thought. He had said to tell no one, but she clearly already knew.

"Yes. You too, then," he said.

She nodded, her voice becoming even more miserable, "He found us in the woods, told us where to go. He said he would bring you here. He…he did something. Something like Reyson. I thought it would help, but in the end…"

All at once Soren understood, his eyes shifting from Mist to Matthew. She had given up on Matthew long ago. But then…there were few things worse than a hope lost. One of them was a hope falsely returned.

"Sometimes things happen for a reason Mist," he said. "But most often, they happen for no reason at all. And that is always what will hurt the most."

In his own way it was all the comfort he could give, and she understood. She didn't protest when he left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

OoOoO

Ike frowned, looking over the group gathered around the village gates. He didn't like what they were about to do, but they wouldn't have another opportunity like it.

"You're sure you'll be okay?" he asked for the third time, looking at Eliwood.

"Yes," he answered, "we're in Caelin, it's almost a straight shot to Pherae. We'll make it just fine Ike, especially now that Lyn is stable."

Ike shook his head, but he wouldn't press it any further. Now that the laguz had joined them and Mist had tended Nasir there was nothing keeping them here, but when Soren had said he could relocate the gate they had used to come here in the first place…it was too sudden for Ike's liking. He didn't like just up and leaving friends before a job was done.

"You're sure you can find it?" he asked.

Soren almost sighed, but held it back, "Yes, Ike. I told you, we were in Caelin when Kent and Sain found us, we're in Caelin now, and I feel like I know where the gate is."

"Which I still don't understand," Nasir said, from his place against a fence post. His burns were as healed as they could be, but he would forever bear scars where Mist's healing couldn't touch. One covered the entire left side of his face, and his shirt hid more on his chest. They were ugly, but he had assured Mist he had lived long enough to grow beyond such superficialities.

"I can never sense them until they're almost in sight," he continued.

"We all have our gifts," Soren said.

Nasir let it drop, looking back at Ike. The man sighed, resting Ragnell on his shoulder, and resigned himself to the plan. Here was where they would say their farewells.

"Then that's that," he said. "I'm sorry we have to leave you so soon, Eliwood, but the plans seem to be making themselves now."

"And when they do," the man smiled, "it's best to follow. You've been a friend and saving grace, Ike. May Saint Elimine light your way."

"And may you know when it's best to light your own," the man replied, "take care."

The two groups split, taking separate roads away from the village while casting glances back and forth all the while. As Eliwood and the others faded from view Mia sighed.

"I'm really going to miss them. I don't know what I expected coming here, but not something I wouldn't want to leave," she said.

Skrimir grunted, "Why? This place is nothing like Tellius, no laguz anywhere. I will be glad to return."

"So people who aren't laguz aren't worth being friends with?" she asked.

Skrimir stopped and looked at her, his frown deepening. "This place has _no_ laguz," he said, as if that settled the matter. Mia threw up her hands; there was no arguing with Skrimir, and she didn't even like fighting with words to begin with.

A few hours later, walking by the fading light of a sun now completely hidden by the horizon, they began to stumble their way through the forest. Always it was "somewhere over there," which was unusual as Soren tended to articulate everything, but even Ike felt as if the place was familiar. It even had the right bandits.

"By the goddess that was, they are everywhere," Nasir said, ducking under a low branch, his head swiveling about in search of more bandits. They had already been confronted with two groups, which might have actually been the same group, and they weren't looking to fight their way out of any more encounters.

No one said anything more as they navigated the dense undergrowth, following after Soren's darkly visible form. Only a moment later though he stopped and placed his hand on a tree; his head hung heavy, and his breath was short.

"What is it?" Mist asked, her brow furrowed with worry as she came up beside him.

"Nothing," he said. As soon as he took another step he crumpled, legs folding beneath him like switches under a stone.

"Soren!" she whispered, a harsh sound in the stillness of dusk.

"Perhaps it is something after all," he said, looking up at her. Sweat poured from his brow now, and he looked feverish.

"What's going on?" Ike asked, pushing his way up to the front from his place as the rear guard.

"Soren's sick," Mist answered. She moved to place her staff over his forehead and his hand caught it, pushing it away.

"Nothing you can do," he said, "Ike, there may have been some poison on that crossbow quarrel."

"What?" Ike asked, "And it's just hitting you now?"

"Yes," he breathed, and then heaved his stomach all over a nearby fern. Ike's eyes darted to Mist, the whole of her possessions clearly obvious. He asked anyway.

"Do you have a restore staff?"

Mist bit her under lip as she looked away, away from Soren, and shook her head. There was nothing for this, and for the second time that day she was going to have to sit back and watch as one of her friends died.

"Back at the village," Ike said, "there might be a healer there who has one. Let's go."

"No," Soren coughed, his hand going up imploringly, "no. You can't. I can feel it, the gate's a straight shot through the woods now and it's not going to be open long."

"It's _open_?" Nasir said, standing up straighter, his head turning in the direction Soren pointed.

"It doesn't matter," Ike said, "you can just open it tomorrow."

Soren shook his head, eyes going from one face to another. All his life he had shunned company, but now there was nothing he wanted more than to remember these people.

"No, I don't think I can Ike. Something is different this time. It's now or not at all."

"Then it's not at all-"

"Go!"

Soren's voice rang out in the new night, carrying far. Where they were it elicited silence, everyone staring down at him. Shaky and sweating he rose to his feet eyes deadlocked on Ike's.

"Go home Ike. Greil's Retreat, Crimea, Tellius…they'll need you again."

Ike eyes narrowed, looking into Soren's, searching. He knew Soren's greatest fear was being truly alone; there was no way he could say this without that fear showing. But he did, and that meant his friend thought it was finally come to an end. Death came for them all, and now it had come for him. Ike's lip curled slightly. He had spit in death's eye too many times to accept that.

"Good bye Ike," Soren said. "Give my regards to Titania."

"See you, Soren," Ike said, slowly turning about. Mist didn't look, and Mia was wide eyed as they left the mage behind. No one spoke, and they pressed on.

Soon they were breaking into an almost completely overgrown clearing, a wide stone dais at its center. True to Soren's word the gateway was open, a shining blue portal at the center of the dais. It wavered oddly, like the surface of a disturbed pond.

"Go," Ike said, stopped at the edge of the dais and nodding toward the gate.

"You say that like you aren't," Nasir said, stepping up onto the stone platform but going no further.

Ike inhaled slowly, taking in the people in front of him. Mia, Nasir, Skrimir, Lethe, Volke…Mist. He would miss them. An arrow whizzed through the darkness, kicking up dirt a foot from Ike's boot. Shouts came from the forests.

"I say it like I mean it," he said, "now go. Soren's not going to last long by himself."

"We'll wait for you, Ike."

"On the other side," Ike said, pointing to the gate.

Nasir nodded, and stepped through. Lethe and Skrimir followed, each pausing to grasp his forearm in as much of an embrace as they could give. Then they were gone, and Volke slipped through without a word. Ike turned to Mia and Mist. Mia looked over at the other woman then stepped forward.

"I'll be waiting too boss," she said, "don't make it too long."

"No promises," Ike smiled. She nodded, and ducked through the now-shrinking portal.

"No promises…" he repeated, his eyes going to his sister. Her look was sad, yet resigned; she knew what he was saying.

"Not this time Mist."

She gave him a hug, speaking quietly into his shoulder, "I'll miss you. We all will."

"I know. Me too. Keep them in line when Titania can't," he said, returning the embrace. "Keep them alive."

"Good bye, Ike."

Ike watched her go, the gate swallowing her up like a lake of liquid silver. He would never see her again. But he had kept his promises to her.

Taking up his sword he turned, shouldered aside a low hanging branch and disappeared back into the forest. He still had to keep one more.


	26. Chapter 26

_Sorry for the delay, had finals and packing to do before I could edit. Enjoy, and know the story's not yet finished._

* * *

Ike stared down at the spot he'd left Soren and smashed his sword into a tree. He wasn't given to fits of anger, but this time it was too much.

"Never should have left him," he growled, wrenching the blade free. Then his face changed, his expression softening, and he slid down to the earth, his back against the wide trunk. With Ragnell balanced across his knees, his arms balanced across Ragnell, he looked up at the sky. It was true night now and stars were beginning to show. He would never find Soren in this.

It was probably the way Soren wanted it, but Ike had never imagined it would end like this. He had always thought Soren would outlast him, all of them, and not just because he was branded. It was because he deserved to. Ike didn't much believe in fate, or destiny, or care for the difference between the two, but he knew the world owed Soren something in life. It certainly hadn't given him anything, not in the beginning. Yet here they were, the end in sight with no remunerations, no recompense to speak of. If anything, it had taken more. Ike raised a hand and let his head fall into his palm. He had never let uncertainty stop him, but now it was paralyzing. He had vows to honor and no way to do so.

And then an explosion lit up the night. It painted the trees red, washed out the stars, cast shadows where before had been only darkness. Before the earth stopped trembling beneath him Ike was on his feet, racing through the forest. Another explosion ripped through the trees and Ike shifted, heading for the plume of smoke and flame which quickly dissipated. As he neared a third explosion rocked the earth and by its light he could see a figure, obscured by robes, on hands and knees in a scorched clearing, all plant life blasted away. He stared down at a book lying open on the ground and around him five more figures darted, not daring to move closer, but on the verge.

Ike moved before he thought, and he was a reaper. Ragnell sang as it cut the air, and a ghostly after vision of the blade pulled free of the enchanted metal. It bit into the nearest brigand, into the small of his back, and the man fell with a cry. Before the others could fully turn Ike was among them, Ragnell's edge biting and darting from one to another. Before long they were down, and Ike was flicking away blood from a cut on his forearm.

He neared Soren and planted Ragnell in the earth. His friend's eyes were unfocused, staring down at the book despite that, and as Ike knelt he looked up. Face sweaty in the moonlight, hair messy and plastered to his face, he reached up and took a hold of Ike's shoulder plate.

"Ike," he breathed, pulling his friend closer. His face was a snarl, his rolling eyes wide. "Don't let me die in the dark."

Before Ike could answer he collapsed, his weight heavy on Ike's wounded arm.

The taller man reached down and closed the tome, sliding it behind his belt, and then heaved Soren up onto a shoulder. Pulling Ragnell free from the earth he quickly left the clearing, making his way back through the foliage as quietly as he could. Brigands were like wasps. Annoying, easily dealt with for a little pain, but to kick the nest was suicide.

"We won't die tonight Soren," he said, his breath coming short and heavy, "not here."

OoOoO

Light. Torchlight. The light of heaven. There was no heaven, for they had killed the goddess. Now it was just a dark hole in the earth. _That_ was heaven. And for some people, it was all they had to look forward to. He had thought he was one of those people once, at a time now long in the past. Only now, he couldn't tell when that time had been. Was it now? Was he still on those streets? Had his entire remembered life been a figment, his mind caught in a dreamscape?

He vomited, his gut twisted like a dirty rag wrung dry, and his eyes fluttered open. The world lurched around him, the ground bobbing beneath him, as if watching the earth from the gait of some ungainly creature. His body jostled, his chin hit something hard, and he bit his tongue. His eyes closed as the iron tinge of blood bloomed in his mouth. He was so tired.

Suddenly voices. Two of them. They cut into the fog of his mind, clearing the way for coherency. Where was he? His eyes fluttered open again and he blinked, staring for a moment as what he assumed was the ceiling, spinning above him. A face appeared, an old woman who looked familiar, and then she was gone. Ike's face replaced hers. His eyebrows were drawn together and his mouth curved in a deep frown. Soren knew that face, he wore it when he looked for Mist in battle. Were they in battle? Soon the woman rejoined Ike with two staves in hand and she bent over Soren, the end of one staff filling his vision. She spoke, her voice muffled in Soren's ears, and brilliant light washed over the dark room. It lit up the woman's features, the creases in her skin, the wrinkles around her eyes. She was the same woman from earlier that day. After a moment the staff shone no more and she replaced it with another. This time he felt the effect of the magic, the healing that raced through his body. It tensed every muscle, strained every tendon, forced him to arch his back as it chased the weakness from his body.

The glowing stopped and Soren collapsed onto the table. The only sound he could hear was his own breathing, his ears popping with every breath, but they were deep breaths. He wasn't going to die. And then the woman brought the staff over him again. Soren's eyes bulged as he felt the magic again; it filled his lungs to bursting, his heart beat out of his chest, his blood pounded in his ears. He watched his hands clench into fists, the tendons in his wrists standing out like carved marble. Again the woman stopped and he hit the table with a thump.

"Stop!" he coughed, as the woman moved the staff over his head again. Too much healing hurt, as it should; it wasn't natural. She looked at Ike, who slid two fingers under Soren's jaw line against his neck. He waited, counting, then removed his hand and nodded toward the woman. She picked up her staves and left without a word.

Soren fell back against the table, exhausted from the healing process.

"How do you feel?" Ike asked, crossing his arms as he looked down at his friend. His arm bore a cut, Soren noticed idly.

"Tired. Incredibly tired," he answered, closing his eyes to shut out the world.

Ike laughed darkly, "You should be. You almost died. She said we caught you on the edge, balanced like a stone on a knife blade. Thankfully they had a restore staff…"

Soren sighed, placing a hand on his forehead, "Thank you, Ike."

"You didn't think I would leave you behind, did you?" Ike asked. "Just had to make sure everyone else got through okay. Should have stayed put you fool."

"I suspected…I knew. But I couldn't assume, and there were brigands. I had to move, and they almost killed me anyway…I couldn't even see in the end Ike."

"I know."

A moment of silence passed and then Soren's fingers parted, his eyes glittering between them in the darkness.

"You know what this means, Ike," he said, watching his friend's face.

Ike nodded, his expression far away as he inhaled slowly before answering, "Nothing I wasn't prepared for."

Soren covered his eyes again, "I'm sorry."

Ike shook his head, "Don't be. Maybe you were wrong. Besides, everyone I know and care for is safe. I'll never be sorry for that."

Soren rolled over and Ike thumped him on the shoulder. "Get some sleep," he said, "we'll leave in the morning."

Soren grunted his understanding and then slipped quickly into sleep. It snatched him from the waking world, in which he had no right to exist, and he dreamed, but when morning came he couldn't say what they had been. All he could think was that they had been dreams of death, and what should have been. He was glad for being unable to remember.

OoOoO

Soren watched, eyes still heavy with sleep as Ike bid the woman farewell. She stared at them with that stony gaze he remembered from the day before, but she nodded when Ike thanked her. He looked over his shoulder as they set off down the road and she was still there by the village gates, leaning on her staff as if it were nothing more than something to help her stand. He looked at Ike.

"What now?" he asked. The quiet of morning seemed draped over them like a mantle. It was comforting after the night before.

Ike smiled, and it reached his tired eyes, "Wherever we want."

"New adventures, new tales…" Soren mused. His eyes drifted, looking to the radiant dawn which painted the eastern sky.

"As long as we don't forget the old ones," Ike answered.

Soren hitched up his bag and followed his friend down the road. He could live with that. He would live _for_ that.


	27. Epilogue

_And the conclusion. I'll make this short, but I just want to say thank you to everyone who read this over the years. The fact that it was indeed years makes it amazing to me that some of you stuck around. My writing changed a lot over the course of this, and it holds a special place for me because of that. The end was always a distant, far seen goal, and now that I'm here it's a bit surreal. I suppose it always is for things coming to a close. Thank you again, I hope it meant something to you, as it did to me._

_Twilight Rurouni  
_

* * *

Priscilla's head came up at the knock and she rose from her chair, setting her needlework aside. Opening the door she started, surprised for only a second before a smile graced her features.

"You've been gone so long, I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever hear from you again," she said, holding the door open wider so Ike could enter the house. Soren followed immediately behind him, shaking snow out of his black hair as he entered.

"We may leave for a time," Ike said, shaking the snow off his cape, "but we'll never be gone for good, not before saying goodbye. You should know that by now Priscilla."

He smiled at her and removed the cape, hanging it by the fire to dry. His sword came off next, propped up against the hearth before he took a seat.

"Any luck this time?" she asked, watching Soren lay his tomes out on the table next to his travel robes. He had already answered her question, but she always asked anyway.

"No," Ike answered, shaking his head vigorously, water flying in all directions. His hair was getting long; it reminded her of some great, shaggy dog. "But we've heard more rumors."

"I take it you're not staying long, then," she said. She moved to the fireplace and removed a kettle, steam billowing from its spout.

"No," Ike answered, "but we'll wait till this blizzard ends at the very least."

"Where then?"

"Ilia."

"Oh," Priscilla said, sucking it a breath through her teeth, "yes, it would be best to wait. Ilia can be dangerous in the winter. Maybe until spring?"

Ike laughed, "Not that long. Maybe a few weeks."

Priscilla smiled again to herself and shrugged, she had expected as much. "Still," she said, "Eliwood will be glad to see you. Hector and Lyn too, actually, they're visiting."

"Really?" Ike asked, sitting up in his chair, then ran a hand through his hair, "It's been…almost a year since we saw them last. How are they?"

"Ask yourself," she said, handing him a cup of tea, then Soren. "I'm going to the castle in an hour or so, you can come too."

Ike nodded and took a sip of the tea, "Just give us enough time to dry off before taking us back out into that."

"Enough time to dry," Priscilla said, then went to a drawer and withdrew a straight edge, "and maybe get a haircut?"

Ike's eyebrows came together and he consciously ran a hand through his hair again. He sighed, "Yeah, I suppose. Mist would be proud of you right now."

"And you, Soren?" she asked, moving around to the back of Ike's chair and removing his headband.

The mage eyed her darkly over his steaming cup and spoke his first words since their arrival, "No. You can keep that away from me."

She laughed, "Just asking."

Soren went back to his tea and Priscilla began to hum softly as she went to work on Ike's hair. The big man shifted occasionally, eliciting a pause in Priscilla's methodic cutting, and the only other sound was the wind howling outside. It really was a full blown blizzard, and Priscilla was surprised they had managed to come back at all.

Twenty minutes later she was done and sweeping Ike's hair into a pile on the floor. He went to refasten his headband around his forehead, but before he could she snatched it away with a flip of her wrist.

"I'm washing this," she said, "it smells."

Ike opened his mouth to raise a protest, but after a moment shrugged instead, settling back into his chair again. Soren had taken to staring out the window, gaze lost in the swirling eddies, his empty cup forgotten in his hand.

"So tell me," Priscilla said, sitting down in her own chair and taking up her sewing again, "how was Etruria?"

OoOoO

"Cold," Ike said, leaning back in his chair and eyeing Eliwood over his cup of mulled wine. The marquess smiled as Ike continued, "Etruria was freezing, and I think it followed us back. I can't imagine what Ilia's like."

"You really can't," Eliwood said, "not until you've been there. You'll have to ask Florina, she says it's beautiful."

"Is she here?" Ike asked. "I thought she was in Ostia now."

"She came with Hector and Lyn," Eliwood answered, "who should be here already, actually."

His eyes went to the study's large double doors, firmly shut against the castle's pervading cold, and he frowned in consideration. As if on cue they shuddered, and then swung open. Hector entered, his gaze taking in the occupants before his face lit up with a smile.

"Eliwood you dog!" he said, "You tell me to get down to the study quick and I expect fighting in the halls, not old friends!"

He went over to where Ike had stood and clapped the man on the shoulder, "Ike, we haven't seen you since the _last_ time the weather got all cold and miserable, you couldn't pick a better season for your comings and goings?"

Ike smiled and clasped the man's forearm against his own, "We follow the leads we get when we get them, not much left up to our decision."

"Yeah well, your informants are inconvenient, get better ones," Hector said, shooing away the servant who tried to hand him a goblet and filling his own instead.

"I'll look into it," Ike laughed, reseating himself as Hector took a chair next to Eliwood. "Where is Lyn?"

Hector waved a hand in dismissal, "She and Florina are on their way. She takes longer to get places these days, but she's just as willing to crack anyone upside the head who offers to help."

"Sounds right."

"So where were you again? Etruria?" Hector asked.

Ike nodded and took a drink before answering. "Yes," he said, enjoying to warm sensation that snaked its way down into his stomach, "near the Ilian border. To be honest we wouldn't have come back, but the man who apparently knew where we needed to go next was in Santaruz, so we thought we would visit."

"And where do you need to go next?"

"Ilia."

Hector guffawed and smacked his knee, "That's what I call a wild goose chase!"

Ike sighed, "Yeah, that's the feeling we're getting too…"

Hector's face grew serious and he leaned forward, "Honestly Ike, it's been almost a year and a half now, don't you think it's time to give it up? If there were any others…I think you would have found them by now."

Ike set his wine aside and rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "And the day we give up is when the next lead is the right one. No, I don't think we'll ever give up, not really. But to be honest, it would be nice to take a break. After the winter, we'll come back and stay for a while."

"Good," Eliwood said, smiling at something only he seemed to see, "this spring would be ideal."

"Oh?" Ike asked, turning to other man. "Why?"

Eliwood's smile deepened, "You'll see."

"Oh come off it Eliwood," Hector muttered into his goblet, "just tell the man already…"

"What my cryptic husband means to say is that you're going to be an uncle, of sorts."

Everyone looked up as Ninian entered the room. Ike nearly choked on his wine when he saw her. She looked as delicate as ever, bordering on frail, but her stomach was rounded in a way that only left one option.

"Ninian," he said, getting up from his chair, "you look well."

"I am," she said, smiling. Her small voice carried a deeper strength than he had ever heard. "Truly."

When she had seated herself he sat again and turned to Marquess and Marchioness Pherae, "Any other secrets you're keeping back?"

"You might as well tell us," Soren added, then nodded toward Ninian, "if they're anything like this one they won't be keeping themselves for long."

Ninian laughed, "No, nothing that I know of. Although Lucius has opened an orphanage, he seems to think it his calling. He's very happy there, I think."

"It suits him," Hector said, "he'd make a better mother than some of the other-"

"Hector!" Eliwood said, cutting his friend off.

Hector raised his hands, "All I meant is he's good with children, alright?"

Everyone had to fight back a smile as they thought of Lucius; Hector couldn't be more right, but no one told him so. A moment later a quiet knock came and they all turned to the doors.

"Come in," Eliwood called. The door creaked, started to open, halted, then slowly swung the rest of the way in. Florina stood in the doorway, both hands braced on the heavy wooden door.

"There you are," Hector said, getting up from his chair and making his way to the door. "Did you stop to look at _every_ tapestry on the way? Ike could have left and come back again by the time you got here."

"Ike?" came Lyn's voice, still out in the hallway, "Ike and Soren are back? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

As she entered the room Ike's stomach flipped. He had thought he would be ready for it, but seeing her now he knew there was no way he could have been. To see Lyn, so free and a boundless before, to see her forever confined to a chair…it wasn't something he could have prepared for. It had wheels, somehow, but it would never give her what she had.

She wheeled the chair up to the table and Hector bent, placing small wedges of wood behind the wheels. Lyn whispered something to him, then turned her smile on Ike and Soren.

"Well," she asked, "what do you think? Might as well talk about it now."

"Who made it?" Soren asked immediately, surprising everyone.

"Jaffar, actually," Lyn answered, patting the wooden wheels attached to the chair, "and he put a surprising amount of care into it. He wouldn't let anyone see until it was done. I have to give him credit, it works well."

"I was skeptic it would at all," Hector said, "but I have to give it to Jaffar."

Ike eyed the chair for a moment then looked up at Lyn, "How are you, Lyn?"

She smiled. Ike didn't think it looked sad. "I'm fine, Ike. It's different, sometimes it's hard, but it's what I have now. And when I think that some of our friends lost everything…"

Tears sprung to the corners of her eyes, and she didn't bother to wipe them away. Ike's eyes went to the knife at her waist. He had the vague notion it was Matthew's. "I can live. But how have you been, Ike? We haven't seen you and Soren since last winter. Almost a year now."

"Oh you know," he said, "same as always. Go a lot of places, meet a lot of people, but it's always here and you that we miss."

Lyn smiled, partly because she knew it was true, and partly because she knew there were places and people they missed more, "I'm glad, that you're well and that we were here to catch you."

"Why are you here, anyway?" Ike asked.

Lyn raised an eyebrow, "To see Ninian of course. Don't tell me you didn't notice."

"Oh we noticed," Ike answered, glancing over at the other woman, "I just had to ask. Eliwood seemed to think it was some big secret."

"_Eliwood_," Lyn said, "has taken to joking and actually having fun as of late. Strange, but Priscilla assures us it's not a permanent condition."

Eliwood frowned, "I'm no different than usual Lyn, I don't know why you keep saying I am. A child is reason to celebrate, that is all."

"Celebrate, yes; what I'd like to know is what has you capering about the castle like a boy at festival."

"I do not caper," Eliwood replied, his tone taking on a serious bent. "I simply have a spring in my step."

Lyn looked at Ike meaningfully and mouthed 'caper' behind a raised hand. He laughed silently and shook his head. In the aftermath of last summer, he had almost forgotten they could laugh so much. It was a welcome reminder.

"Speaking of which," Hector said, turning to Ike and Soren, "you'll be here for the Eve of Longshades. It's only a few weeks away."

"What's it mark?" Ike asked, trying to remember what winter festivals they would be having in Tellius.

"Longest day of the year," Hector said, looking at the man like he was daft.

"It's that time already?" Ike asked, thinking back to when they had left the year before. "You think I'd remember it from last year…"

"You left _on_ the Eve of Longshades," Hector laughed, "and slipped away like a ghost."

"Did we?" Ike said, looking to Soren. The other man nodded. "Huh."

"Forget that though," Hector continued, "you'll be here for it this year. You should see the decorations, they've already started down in the town, come on."

Ike looked to Priscilla, who glanced up from her sewing then looked over to Hector. "Not today," she sighed, "we should be getting back before it gets too late."

"You're not staying in the castle?" Hector asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Ike shook his head, "No, we're staying at Priscilla's."

"Why don't you all just stay here?"

"She needs her roof re-thatched as soon as possible," Ike answered. "Maybe later."

"You do?" Eliwood asked, turning to Priscilla, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Priscilla went back to her sewing as she answered, "I didn't want to bother you with it, it would have lasted until spring."

"But you'll bother Ike?"

"He noticed and offered, or rather insisted," she said.

She pulled a thread tight before looking, and laughed when she did. Eliwood's face was a mixture of confusion and uncertainty.

"Well," he said after a moment, "if that's the case I suppose we can show you some other time."

"Oh come on," Hector said, "at least look at the great hall in the castle."

Ike looked to Priscilla again. "I've already seen it," she said, "but you can go if you like. The roof can wait."

"We'll make it quick," Ike said, standing as Hector did and making his way around to the other side of the table.

"Take your time," Priscilla said, "it's beautiful. I'll be here when you want to leave."

Ike assured her it wouldn't be long and disappeared behind the doors. She watched one by one as the others filed out after, Lyn's small, patient smile evident to only Priscilla as the Sacaen woman allowed Florina to wheel her out. Eliwood's grin looked like it would split his face as Ninian took his arm and the pair left. Lastly Soren followed behind at a distance, his nose buried in a tome which he snapped shut before leaving the room.

"Soren."

He stopped, only his hand visible on the door's edge.

"Yes?" he asked, stepping back into the doorframe.

He regarded her with an expectant gaze, eyebrow half-cocked. She took a shallow breath and exhaled sharply before speaking, "You won't find one, will you?"

Soren tilted his head, eyes narrowing in contemplation as he thought for a moment before answering, "No."

"But you keep looking."

"We have to. Any less…Ike feels it would insult the memories of those we left behind."

The air seemed to grow heavy with his words. "He said that?" she asked.

"No," Soren answered. "But it's how he feels."

Priscilla looked down to her lap, her voice growing quiet as she turned her musing inward, "You must miss your friends greatly…"

Soren didn't answer, and as the silence stretched on she looked back up at the mage. He had a curious expression on his face, his eyes uncertain, his lips twitching as if with unspoken words. Finally he did speak, his voice low and clear in the now empty hall.

"Yes," he said, eyes diverting down, away from her face, "but not any more than he would the ones made here, I think."

Priscilla remained quiet for another moment then said, "He. What about you, Soren?"

"I am not so concerned with that. Ike goes, I follow. It's been so for most of my life."

"And how long will you follow?"

Soren's brow rose slightly, as if he had never considered the question. Eventually he spoke, the words coming easy and clear.

"Until he dies. Isn't that what one does for family?"

He watched her for another moment, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't he turned and left, the hem of his robes billowing away from him as he disappeared behind the door.

"And after that?" she said softly. She studied the pattern on the border she was embroidering, running the material through her fingers. She set the garment aside, a scarf for Raven, and stared into the fire.

"Then I'll remember."

She looked up again as Soren's voice floated back into the room. The muted sound of footsteps followed, quickly fading down the hallway, and then all was silent. She smiled.

"I think we all will."


End file.
